Hammond named in inaugural Talent Accelerator 2032 initiative

Bryce Hammond will be flying the flag for South Australia after being named in the Hockey Australia Talent Accelerator (TA32) intitiative, a dedicated pathway designed to guide the next generation of Kookaburras and Hockeyroos towards the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.

TA32 sits within Hockey Australia's new Centre of Excellence system — a connected high-performance model that runs from grassroots participation and talent identification, through the national underage teams and TA32, to the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras.

The athletes were selected following a two-year assessment process, with Hugh Purvis, Talent Accelerator 2032 Technical Lead, and Mark Knowles, Pathway Technical Director, depth-charting talent at National Championships, pathway tours and training camps. From that process, a shortlist of athletes were interviewed prior to their invitation.

Talent Accelerator 2032 Technical Lead Hugh Purvis said selection reflected almost two years of building relationships with the athletes and understanding what each of them needs to succeed on the road to Brisbane 2032.

"This group represents many years of watching, assessing and getting to know these athletes, both on and off the field," he said.

"The athletes are exceptionally talented but what stands out was how each of them talked about their passion for the game, desire to master their craft and take ownership of their own development. That's exactly what TA32 is built to support."

The TA32 initiative is designed to deliver individualised planning and support to each athlete, with the aim of producing world-class performance in Brisbane 2032.

The initiative commences 1 October, with the group's first scheduled activity being a Skill Acquisition Camp at the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) from 27–30 November.

The athletes are aged 17 to 22, mostly sitting in the 19 to 21 bracket now (25 to 28 by Brisbane 2032). Support is tailored to each athlete's needs, and we would anticipate several of the athletes are to progress into the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras within the next one to two years.

From there, TA32 will keep backing their development alongside the national team coaches, through skill acquisition support, mentorship and development away from tours and competitions.