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Player pathways in ice hockey



Player pathway is not a new concept in sports. It has been widely adopted as a tool across number of sports: golf, cricket, tennis, football, field hockey etc - see links in the end. However, it is difficult to find any ice hockey related player pathways from any of the UK associations or clubs so maybe it is good time to take a look at what one could look like for hockey players in the UK.

What is a player pathway?

In short it is a plan or a roadmap for athlete development. It is a framework that aims to maximise a player’s potential and long term involvement in sport whether they participate at recreational, competitive or elite levels. It often outlines the various development stages that athletes complete as they progress through their careers.  

Below are a couple of mock ups of what player pathways could look like for the UK ice hockey.

A high level player pathway that an ice hockey association could use to describe their elite player development (inspiration).

A skills development based pathway that clubs might use as part of their player development.

Both of these are "At a glance" type of overviews. Typically they would be supplemented by a more detailed description of for example the skills development component. Hockey Canada has an excellent example of this in their framework which is called Long Term Player Development Plan (link). 

Why do we need a player pathway?
·        Provides a plan and consistency to player development across different stages and age groups.

·        Allows different clubs or stages to collaborate more easily in developing individuals.

·        Enables players to better understand their own development path, set goals and track progress.

·        Ensures that by the time the elite players make it to the national side, they have the right skills, knowledge and understanding of how the national team plays.

·        Helps tailor coaching education programmes to focus in the right areas.

·        Provides transparency for parents on how their children are coached, taught and developed.

 Examples of player pathways

England Hockey
LTA British Tennis
Lancashire Cricket
Scottish Golf
Irish Rugby

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