THE FUTURE BLACK STICKS PROGRAMME IS AN INNOVATIVE PROJECT DEDICATED TO THE NURTURING, EDUCATION, AND DEVELOPMENT OF HOCKEY PLAYERS FROM THE AGE OF 16 ONWARDS.
THE PROGRAMME PRESENTS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR PLAYERS AT DIFFERENT STAGES ON THE PATHWAY TO SET THEIR FIRST STEPS TOWARDS THE BLACK STICKS WAY, ALIGNING THEM WITH AN INTERNATIONALLY SUCCESSFUL SYSTEM.
BY PARTAKING IN THE FUTURE BLACK STICKS PROGRAMME, YOUNG PLAYERS EMBARK ON A JOURNEY OF CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT, A JOURNEY THAT READIES THEM TO CARRY THE TORCH OF NEW ZEALAND’S PROUD HOCKEY TRADITION.
KEY OUTCOMES
REMAINING PART OF THE WIDER HOCKEY COMMUNITY: PLAYERS AND STAFF COME THROUGH STRONG HOCKEY COMMUNITIES, WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO REMAIN ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE WIDER HOCKEY ECOSYSTEM, FORGING CONNECTIONS, SHARING EXPERIENCES, AND GROWING ONE ANOTHER. WE WILL ONLY BE SUCCESSFUL WHEN WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER.
LEARNING HOW TO PERFORM: OUR PROGRAMME IS DESIGNED TO IMPART THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO PERFORM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, SETTING THE GROUNDWORK FOR FUTURE INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS.
HOLISTIC APPROACH TO PARTICIPANTS’ JOURNEYS: WE BELIEVE IN A ROUNDED GROWTH EXPERIENCE, NURTURING NOT JUST THE TECHNICAL SKILLS BUT ALSO PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, LEADERSHIP, AND RESILIENCE.
BEGINNING THE JOURNEY TO THE BLACK STICKS WAY: WE INITIATE OUR PARTICIPANTS INTO THE BLACK STICKS PHILOSOPHY, AN APPROACH CENTERED ON NEW ZEALAND’S UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON HIGH PERFORMANCE AND PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT.
PURPOSE AND IDENTIFICATION
The purpose of the Future Black Sticks programme is clear – identifying and developing potential players and staff for International Hockey. This process begins with age group tournaments, secondary school tournaments, Ford National Hockey Championship, and regional training environments, which serve as our primary identification events with 16 – 18 year olds being selected after the Vantage U18s tournament, and 18 and over players being called up after the NHC.
This systematic approach is led by FBS coaches and selectors who work closely with associations to recognise potential talent. The programme offers the flexibility to add players outside of the first and second intake at the selectors’ discretion.
SUPER CAMPS
Our Super Camps provide a platform to instill key concepts and principles from our Vantage Black Sticks teams to a broader group of Future Black Sticks. These camps allow participants to experience a performance environment, and also give exposure to more than 20 coaches, staff, and officials per event, either in hands-on or observation roles. These camps will also feature support for other areas of high performance development (such as physical conditioning and mental skills) to further educate players and staff.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
To truly flourish, our players need to test their skills on the world stage. This is why we strive to provide our U21 programmes with the chance to compete internationally. These opportunities allow them to play in diverse environments and rack up close to 20 high-level matches per year.
2023 Women’s Junior World Cup – Santiago, Chile 29th November – 10th December 2023
2023 Men’s Junior World Cup – Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia 5th-16th December 2023