Athletes that are new to the High Performance Pathway at Hockey Victoria should attend Draft Camp in order to be identified by an Athlete Identification Officer (AIO), from there they can be selected into our Academy Program. The next step for the athlete is to progress through the Final Player Assessment phases (1 & 2) to ultimately gain State Team Selection. If the athlete is unsuccessful at Draft Camp, meaning they were not apart of the Academy Program, then they would need to attend an Open Player Assessment session for a chance at a spot at Final Player Assessment 1.

Athletes gain selection either via auto entry from being a member of the previous years State Team or have gained selection through Draft Camp (U14 get assessed at the U14 JSC). These are the only two ways to gain selection into the Academy.

Yes. All athletes, no matter what, must nominate if they wish to be considered for state selection, the nomination fee is $45. The nomination fee includes the administration and the evaluation of the athlete by our Athlete Identification Officers (AIOs), which either takes place at our Open Player Assessment (OPA), or our Final Player Assessment Days (FPA1/FPA2). Please note, not all athletes nominate for state selection i.e. some athletes who attend the OPA’s are there for their own personal development as opposed to state selection.

Final Player Assessments are the final phase of the state team selection process. All Academy athletes are guaranteed a spot at Final Player Assessment 1, but must still nominate for their relevant state team. From here they will need to be selected if they are to progress through to Final Player Assessment 2, after which the state teams are named.

Yes. However, the athlete would need to attend an Open Player Assessment session in order to be assessed by an AIO (Athlete Identification Officer) to see if selection is warranted through to Final Player Assessment 1 (FPA1), which is the 1st trial phase for state team selection.

Your child needs to be of age or under, the year National Championships are taking place i.e. For an under 16 athlete, they CANNOT turn 17 the year of the National Tournament, so they can be 16 at the tournament but must remain 16 years of age until December 31st 23:59. Please check with the Hockey Victoria High Performance Department if you are still unsure or need more clarification on this, alternatively you can use this Age Calculator to work out which age-group your child belongs to.

The athlete MUST be nationally identified and categorised at the U18 or U21 Australian National Championships by an Australian National Selection Panel, usually consisting of the National Junior Coach and appointed panel. When you are nationally identified and categorised, and only then, are you eligible for a VIS Scholarship. Please note, Scholarships offered by State Institutes around the country can vary with regards to each Institute having their own selection criteria, The Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) through their own policies, will only bring on an athlete that is categorised under current AIS/ASC/HA criteria. The opportunities to enter the VIS on scholarship traditionally start at U18 level and continue through to HockeyOne.

The Australian Futures Squad is a selection of athletes usually aged 18 and Under, the criteria for these groups vary based on the current schedule of events in the calendar year, Junior World Cup, National Camps structure etc. The athlete MUST be nationally identified at the U18 Australian National Championships by an Australian National Selection panel, usually consisting of the National Junior coach and appointed panel. The Futures Squad is then serviced by the member association which in this case would be the Hockey Victoria High Performance Department.