19 Players Added to Centralised Programme

GB Hockey are proud to announce a total of 19 players have been selected to join the centralised programme at Bisham Abbey. 

The players have been selected after impressing during the Talent Confirmation period - involving camps at Bisham and International match play over the past few months. 

Ten players were offered places in December, these included Jacob Payton (Surbiton), Henry Croft (Beeston), Fred Newbold (Wimbledon), Calum Douglas (Southgate), Katie Curtis (Surbiton), Rebecca Daniels (Clifton Robinsons), Georgie Gardens (University of Exeter), Millie Holme (University of Exeter), Pippa Lock (East Grinstead), and Amy Thompson (East Grinstead). Read the full article now 

Eight more players have subsequently been selected. 

For the Women’s programme, this has included Paige Gillott (Wimbledon), Becky Manton (Wimbledon), Lottie Bingham (University of Birmingham), Alice Atkinson (University of Birmingham) and Maddie Axford (University of Nottingham), Matthew Ramshaw (Holcombe), Sam Hooper (Wimbledon), Ben Fox (Wimbledon) and Jonny Sturch-Hibbitt (University of Exeter) have been selected for the men’s programme. 

Ramshaw was a member of the silver medallist England squad at the 2019 EuroHockey Junior Championships as well as winning two gold medals at the Sultan of Johor cup for GB. Ramshaw made his senior international debut in 2022, scoring twice against France in the FIH Hockey Pro League. 

Hooper made his England debut during the Argentina leg of the 2024/25 FIH Hockey Pro League and scored twice in an 8-0 victory over Ireland. The 26-year-old has made seven international appearances in total, being a member of both FIH Hockey Pro League squads in Argentina and India. 

University of Exeter alumni, Fox and current player, Sturch-Hibbitt, both made their Senior England debuts during the recent FIH Hockey Pro League India leg. Both players have represented England at the EuroHockey Junior Championships and GB for the Sultan of Johor cup (Fox won bronze in 2022) at U21 level. 

Wimbledon pair, Gillott and Manton both represented England for the first time during the 2024/25 FIH Pro League China leg. Manton scored within the first minute of her international debut against China. While Gillott has played all eight matches of the FIH Pro League season so far. 

Following a bronze medal performance at the 2024 EuroHockey U21 Championships, Bingham and Atkinson were selected for their first senior international debuts at the FIH Pro League China leg. The University of Birmingham student made her senior debut at 18-years-old and scored twice in a 3-1 victory over Belgium, earning her the Player of the Match award in just her second match. Atkinson (University of Birmingham) has played six of the FIH Pro League matches including all four in India and she was part of the line up that took on Olympic Champions Netherlands in India. 

As well as Fox and Sturch-Hibbitt, Axford made her senior England debut in India and impressed with a brilliant assist to Darcy Bourne against the hosts. Previous to this, the 21-year-old had been a consistent member of the England U21 and GB Elite Development Programme, highlighted by winning a bronze medal at the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2021.