Island hockey player Archie Cox has been selected to be part of the Welsh national age group training squads for 2025.

The Manx Hockey Association say this is a fantastic achievement and represents the next step in his development as he trains with the very best talent the sport has to offer.

He was also have the support of top-tier coaching and be pushed to excel further with competition from his peers.

Archie began his hockey journey as so many other island players have, in the Manx Youth Games at the age of eight years old.

Having been bitten by the bug at a young age, he continued his love of the game at Castletown Hockey Club, coming through the under-11 and under-13 age group teams before progressing to the u16 team and into senior hockey where he currently plays for the mixed and men’s first teams.

During this period, he has represented the Isle of Man at u14, u16 and u18 age groups, being part of the side that won the England Hockey Under-16 Tier Two Plate in 2023 and captaining the u18 side.

More recently, he was selected for the senior men’s side for the County Championships.

In 2021, Archie trialled and was selected for the England Hockey Fylde Performance Centre.

The following year, England Hockey changed the player pathway for the 2022 season so, after a series of trials, Archie was selected to be part of the England Hockey Northwest Talent Academy, the pathway to the national team set-up.

Here he honed his talents further, working on technical skills, nutrition, game play and tactical understanding, all being part of a curriculum targeted at young players aspiring to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Archie’s development as an all-round sportsman has been helped by his time in the Isle of Man Sport Aid Academy and his ongoing support from Isle of Man Sport on the performance development pathway.

Along with a handful of other Manx athletes, Archie was put forward to be involved in the 2023 intake of DISE (Diploma in Sporting Excellence) which is a specialised qualification intended for students who have the chance to demonstrate and develop their capacity to meet the demands of a high-performance sportsperson.

This qualification targets talented athletes identified by the national governing body through their talent pathway who are participating in a training and competition program within their sport to compete at the highest level.

Following on from this, further progress was made in 2024 with selection to the England Red Team – the next level in the EH pathway - becoming only the second Manx player to reach this level to date.

The future certainly looks bright for Archie, a talented yet humble young player, with drive and focus to succeed, we are positive there will be many more highlights in his future hockey career.

A spokesperson from the MHA added: ‘His development from a young player trying the sport for the first time, to national team level is an inspiration to many in the island game and the Manx hockey community wish him all the best of luck as he continues his journey.’

PAUL NUTTALL