U16 HC Melbourne Futures Squads Announcement

Published Thu 20 Oct 2022

In 2022, at the conclusion of the Under 15 and Under 18 Nationals in April we looked forward to what the next opportunity for our futures talent was. This was some 15 months away with the Under 18 Nationals in July 2023. We felt it was a great time to intervene and develop an innovative model that in many ways mirrors that of the Hockey One program for our senior players, with some games at home in front of family and friends and some away with the challenges of travel the day of competition etc. With that the 2022 HC Melbourne Futures program was born.

The futures squads were selected back in August after a very healthy trial period and have been training hard over the past couple of months leading into their upcoming games. The playing opportunities for this cohort have included practice matches vs the HC Melbourne senior women's team as well as the junior state teams preparing to depart for nationals.

Now, they are about to embark on their first away weekend against the NSW Pride Academy in Sydney before taking on the Victorian Senior Men and Women's Country teams in a 2-match series (one in Melbourne and one in Bendigo). The series will culminate with a final away weekend paired up with the HC Melbourne Men's and Women's squad's vs Adelaide fire in November. We are very proud of the playing group and how they have continued to be adaptable in a rapidly changing environment.

"COVID and the series of lengthy lockdowns have impacted many of these athletes and families in a variety of ways. Providing them an innovative model where our athletes can get access to a series of higher-level competitive games against a variety of skill sets and playing styles is something we are always on the lookout for. We are looking forward to building these ongoing touring and match play opportunities both domestically and internationally for our athletes going forward." Lachlan Anderson GM High Performance.