Field Hockey Canada is excited to introduce Prospects, a new grassroots development program aimed at providing prospective athletes from our local club, regional and provincial communities across the country further support in their training and high-performance development.
Through Prospects, we can offer an inclusive and integrated development opportunity, for U16 athletes not currently selected to play for their Province at the National Championships. This opportunity will allow athletes to extend their technical and tactical knowledge of the game in a fun, and comprehensive summer camp style program.
Field Hockey Canada has created this program for coast-to-coast use, to support grassroots athlete development on a nation-wide basis. The pilot event has been strategically scheduled to avoid traditional club, league and regional training periods, and will be held in British Columbia this July and rolled out to other provinces soon after that.
The Prospects program is designed to provide support for the National Athlete Pathway. The goal is to support our club systems, feed future Provincial Teams and help produce more qualified athletes for our Next Gen Athlete Training Centres. FHC will work in partnership with the Provincial Sport Organization, and local club organizations to identify athletes that are talented and show a high potential of growing into the role of Provincial Athlete and progressing through the National Player Pathway.
The integrated coaching team, including highly experienced and certified coaches and sport scientist will work to implement a National Development Curriculum that will address technical and tactical gaps in athlete play and elevate the performance of these athletes to meet National LTAD skill expectations.
The program curriculum will feature on field technical skill-based instruction, game play, a customized strength and conditioning program focused on preparing athletes for the speed, agility and dynamic nature of field hockey, while helping to pro-actively support injury reduction. As well as an ongoing Athlete Performance Education Series presented by national experts in field hockey and athlete development.
Coach Mentoring Program
Parallel to the inaugural Prospects Camp, Field Hockey Canada is introducing a Coach Mentorship Program designed for coaches to receive additional growth opportunities, face-to-face mentoring, and to provide guidance in areas that have been identified as critical to player development. This mentorship program is part of a holistic support system approach and is one more component FHC’s commitment to Long‐Term Player Development (LTPD) and support of our National Player Pathway.
Coaches in the mentorship program will gain experience and continuing education around performance planning, on-field delivery, session management, athlete interventions and coaching effectiveness in a supported mentorship environment.
Our goal is to provide a structure and culture of learning for coaches at all levels and specifically those working with athletes involved in FHC pathway programs (club, regional and provincial development programs). We believe this is the key to the future growth of coaching in Canada. The ultimate outcome is improved athlete development in all regions of Canada through matching qualified senior coaches with up and coming coaches and the establishment of a National, Coach Mentoring Program.
Are you a coach interested in being matched with a coach mentor?
We are currently seeking coaches for our first on field mentoring event to coincide with the July 2019 BC Prospects camp. Applicants should meet some or all of the following criteria, and can apply for involvement through this link: https://forms.gle/cn2PTf3Y1qT8n8bw6
- Experience coaching in the club system or regional/provincial development programs
- Experienced field hockey athlete at the National or University Level
- Field and/or Goal Keeper Specialist coaches.
- Desire to make an impact in the long-term development of High-Performance Field Hockey Athletes.
- Desire to improve knowledge around technical coaching, management and monitoring of athletes, performance planning and delivery best practices.
- Have already begun their coach education pathway, either through FHBC’s PCE community coach stream, or NCCP multi-sport coaching modules.
- Desire to pursue coach certifications and continue coaching in the high-performance context through their club or PSO.
Questions can be directed to the Prospects Management Team via email to development@fieldhockey.ca
FHC Prospects Program Management Team
Susan Ahrens: FHC Chief Executive Officer
Andrea Gibson and Jenn Beagan: Camp Directors and FHC Prospects Program Coaches
Kate Perry: FHC Prospects Program Manager and Strength and Conditioning Lead
