Talent Development with England Talent Diving Pathway

Youth Squad

The Youth Squad (Team Z) divers are selected from the England Talent Games. The squad is for divers aged 10 – 11 years of age at the point of selection.

Divers follow a journey over an 18 month period. The Youth Squad will complete seven weekend-based camps. These are focused around developing divers technically and physically by building on the fundamental skills demonstrated at the Games.

Each camp has a defined technical theme that has been established to assist a diver in transition from skills to elite diving over the 18 month period.

The Youth camps are spaced throughout the season to provide opportunity for divers to develop core skills and demonstrate progression from camp to camp.

In addition to the technical themes (Forward and Inward Rotation, Back and Reverse Rotation, Twisting, Hurdle Step, Handstands, Required Dives and Bouncing Skills), the camps will provide a detailed physical diving development programme with a strong focus on acrobatic skills and gymnastic conditioning.

The programme aims to prepare each diver for the Junior Elite Championships at the end of the 18 months.

Junior Development Squad

Divers in the Junior Development Squad (Team Y) are selected from the National Assessment Camp and are between 12 and 18 years old.

To be considered for invitation to the National Assessment Camp, a diver must have first competed at the GB Junior Elites.

The Assessment Camp will typically run in September at the start of the season.

Selection to the squad will require a pass in a number of technical and physical areas:

1. Performance GB Junior Elites – Invited to join the camp
2. Physical Testing (Dryboard + Physical Tests)
3. Physio Screening
4. Entry Test – consistency
5. Bouncing skills test 3m – consistency, awareness & control
6. Required dive test platform OR springboard (six dives) – group fundamentals
7. Squad staff observations

Talent Athlete Scholarship Programme (TASS)

TASS is the top tier of the England Talent Programme.

Junior divers aged 16+ who make the Finals qualification standard for European Junior Championships at the Junior Elite Championships (as detailed in the Aquatics GB Selection Policy) or their performances at the European Aquatics Junior Championships and Senior divers who achieve the qualification standard for the European Aquatics Senior Championships who are not on World Class Podium Potential are considered for selection for TASS.