One of the rising stars of Manx Hockey – Archie Cox, has been selected to be part of the Welsh National Age Group Training squads for 2025. This is a fantastic achievement and represents the next step in his hockey development, as he trains with the very best talent the sport has to offer.
Here he will develop his game further with the support of top tier coaching and will be pushed to excel further with competition from his peers.
Archie began his hockey journey as so many other local players have, via Manx Youth Games at 8 years old. Manx Youth Games is an excellent introduction into any new sport and one where hockey has certainly benefited, as several of our most talented players have started their hockey via Manx Youth Games.
Having been bitten by the hockey bug at a young age, Archie continued his love of the game at Castletown Hockey Club, coming through the Under 11 and Under 13 age group teams, progressing to the Under 16 team and into senior hockey, where he currently plays for the Mixed and Men’s 1st Teams.
During this period, he has represented the Isle of Man at Under 14, Under 16 and Under 18 age groups, being part of the side that won the England Hockey Under 16 Tier 2 Plate in 2023, Captaining the Under 18 side and more recently 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. England Hockey changed the Player Pathway for 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 setup. 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 IoM Sport Aid Academy and his ongoing support from IoM 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, this 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 sports performer. 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 England Red Team – the next level in the England Hockey pathway, only the second Manx Player to reach this level.
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. His development from a young player trying the sport for the first time, to national team level is an inspiration to many in our sport and we wish him all the best of luck as he continues his hockey journey.
