About the West Panthers U13s

The West Panthers U13s Hockey programme is a vibrant and competitive youth hockey initiative that nurtures young talent in the South West of England and Wales. Each season, the programme conducts rigorous trailing processes to select its teams, ensuring the best young players are chosen to represent the Panthers.

From these trials, the programme selects two teams each for both boys and girls to participate in prestigious events such as the UK Festival of Hockey held in Nottingham. This event serves as a significant platform for young hockey players to showcase their skills and compete at a high level against teams from across the UK.

Additionally, the West Panthers U13s Hockey programme also selects a boys' team and a girls' team to compete in the U12 Mercia Cup. The Mercia Cup is another esteemed tournament that provides valuable competitive experience for young players, emphasising skill development and teamwork. Please see below for further information on the Mercia Cup.

The Trialling Process

Our trialling process for the West Panthers U13s Hockey programme is thorough and designed to identify the most promising young talent. During trials, we evaluate players on several key aspects: core skills such as dribbling, passing, and shooting; their ability to play effectively within a team; overall fitness levels to ensure they can endure the demands of the full pitch game; and their attitude both on and off the pitch. We believe that a positive attitude and good sportspersonship are as crucial as technical skills, and we seek players who exhibit these qualities consistently. 

Players must attend at least three out of the four trials to be eligible for selection. If they are unable to meet this requirement, please inform us, and we may allow attendance at two trials at our discretion.

You Have Been Selected!

Congratulations if you have made it this far and are now officially a Panther! Players must now attend two additional training sessions. Missing either session could jeopardise their spot on the team. Attendance is crucial as we will practice short corners, set pieces, and presses. During these sessions, we will also choose our captains and begin formalising positions. 

Dates For Your Diary

If you have been selected for the West Panthers, there is a cost of approximately £440 to pay. This includes the two training sessions, entry into the competition, accommodation for the players, all meals provided and playing kit. If you follow our Instagram page... we're partial to the odd goodie bag too.

UK Lions

The UK Lions is an unofficial UK U13 squad selected from the Nottingham Festival. It offers a thrilling opportunity for players who wish to perform at their very best. However, we do not discuss the UK Lions during our West Panthers process. Our goal is to ensure that all players enjoy their roles within the team and focus on playing well for the Panthers, without the added pressure of selection for the Lions. 

It is also important to note that we have no involvement in the selection process for both boys and girls. We are informed of the chosen players towards the end of the competition and may provide some input. However, we choose not to announce the selections to the players on the spot. Instead, we contact the selected players the following day. We emphasise that the tournament is about the Panthers, and we do not want to send any hopeful players home disappointed.

We must also stress that not being selected for either the Panthers or the UK Lions is not the end of the road for achieving your hockey dreams. There are many more opportunities, and numerous players have gone on to play high-level hockey despite not being selected at this stage.

For more information about the UK Lions, please visit their website here.