Talent Academy - Meet the team

Find out about the Talent Academy coaching team and committee.

Our Talent Academy Coaches

    Chris White - Head Coach
    Chris has joined the University coaching staff following 9 months in Japan and Australia. Prior to this Chris was the Hockey and Cricket Coach at Kings Bruton, where he was also a student, under the tutelage of Ben Dudley. Chris also played for the University of Bristol Mens Hockey Club as a non student player in our England Hockey league team, thus Chris already has a long association with Bristol and has already played a big part in the work that has been put in place by Ben.
    George Nicholls - Lead Coach (Boys & Girls)
    George joined the Bristol Talent Academy in August 2023 and also serves as Performance Hockey Coach at Clifton College. His coaching experience spans multiple environments, including a lead coach at the Avon Junior County programme, lead Clifton Robinsons Ladies’ 2nd XI in the National League, and contributed to the club’s Premiership squad. He also works on the DiSE programme in partnership with England Hockey. As a junior, George progressed through the Bristol Performance Centre, DiSE, and Futures Cup pathways before completing a BSc in Sport, Exercise and Health Science at the University of Birmingham. During his time there, he captained his National League team while coaching across the club and serving as Club Chairman. George is currently completing the Great Britain Advanced Coaching Programme which is supporting his continued development as a performance coach within the Talent Academy pathway.
    Matt Forster – Assistant Coach (Boys & Girls)
    Matt is currently the Men’s Head Coach at the University of Bristol, having previously coached within the England Hockey Premier Division and National League with Cardiff & Met Hockey Club. He also has experience coaching and managing at European level, alongside his continued work within the England Hockey Talent Academy pathway. A graduate of Cardiff Metropolitan University, Matt holds both a BSc and MSc in Sport and Exercise Science and has previously worked within professional football at Newport County FC. He is a qualified Level 1 and Level 2 hockey coach and also holds qualifications in First Aid, football coaching and personal training.
    Duncan Armsby - Assistant Coach (Boys)
    Duncan brings over 20 years of successful coaching at club and school hockey in Bristol as Head Coach of local Westberries Ladies Hockey Club and at Redmaids' High Girls School, as well as experience of working with Avon County boys U16 & U17 age groups. Duncan is a GB Hockey accredited Advanced Coach and also brings his extensive experience as a teacher to our team. This will be Duncan's fourth season with our Bristol TA and he will work primarily with the boys programme.

Our Committee

The University of Bristol Hockey Talent Academy shall be led and administered by a management committee consisting of:

  • Chris White - Head of Hockey
  • George Nicholls - Talent Academy Lead Coach  
  • Valerie Shipsey - Talent Academy Manager Welfare Officer
  • Matt Paine - Welfare Officer
  • Emma Ascott - Talent Academy Administrator
  • Russell Earnshaw - Talent Academy Independent Advisor
  • Jon Bower - Talent Academy Independent Advisor
The Talent Academy Management Committee shall be responsible for all aspects of the Talent Academy in line with the vision and purpose (outlined on About us page), with a particular focus on the Welfare and development of participants.  
 
The Talent Academy Management Committee shall be responsible for creating the culture to support individuals in line with the University of Bristol, the University of Bristol Hockey Club and the Bristol Hockey Talent Academy vision and principles. Meetings will take place six times per year.
 
The University of Bristol has chosen individuals according to their skills and experience in running successful hockey programmes at the University of Bristol, in school, in clubs and in Junior Academy environments. The Talent Academy Lead Coaches have significant experience in the previous England Hockey Talent Systems.  
 
(Voluntary) Independent Talent Academy Committee members have been appointed according to experience in other Talent Development environments with the aim of maintaining independence from the organisation and day to day leadership team with the ability to challenge processes and delivery where appropriate. 
 
The Dispute process shall be undertaken through the Talent Academy Management Committee Chaired by the Talent Academy Lead. For any disputes involving the Talent Academy Lead, investigations and meetings shall be Chaired by the University of Bristol Head Coach and/or an Independent Talent Academy Committee Member. Any matter of a welfare nature shall be referred to England Hockey Welfare Officer as appropriate.