Hockey’s Single System is the development pathway for players, coaches and officials of all ages and abilities to reach their full potential. It is based on a set of principles that puts the participant at the centre and is based on scientific research that has been widely accepted by the majority of other major sports within England. The purpose of the Single System is to make opportunities for participants fair, equitable. and consistent.
JDC – City of Wakefield (Junior Development Centre)
The JDC is a training centre at local level for age groups from U13 to U17. These centres are open to any player who has been nominated by the club. This is the next step from playing at junior club level in the Single System. There are approximately 130 JDC’s; Slazenger and Wakefield Hockey Club run the City of Wakefield junior development centre, which runs from September to December.
JAC – West Yorkshire (Junior Academy Centre)
The JAC is the second level of development. Player admission is open to anyone nominated by Junior Development Centre coaches. Players who have previously been involved in Junior Regional Performance Centre (JRPC) Tier 2 activity may also attend JAC’s.
JAC’s provide regular training sessions where core skills coaching is given by qualified coaches. Training is complemented by competitions between local JAC’s. There are 42 JAC’s located around the country, Slazenger’s local JAC centre is Leeds.
JRPC Level 1 – Yorkshire & Humberside (Junior Regional Performance Centre)
A Junior Regional Performance Centre (JRPC) is a training centre for the U15, U16, U17 and U18 age groups. Players are selected to attend from the JAC sessions and tournaments. There are 12 JRPC’s and Slazenger’s is based at Leeds (known as the Leeds Pumas).
JRPC Level 2 – North of England
At U15 and U17, players can be selected to participate in High Performance Assessment Camps (HPACs), training at effectively national squad standard. At U16 and U18 level, the top players from the 3 Northern JRPC’s (Durham, Manchester & Leeds Pumas) are combined to form a single Northern team known as the Pennine Pumas. They compete in a competition called the Futures Cup against 3 other regional teams; Mercia Lynx (Midlands), Wessex Leopards (West), Saxon Tigers (East). Players from this competition may be selected for national trials.
More information on development of junior players at Slazenger Hockey Club is avaliable from our Junior Head Coach Steve Wood.
