Millfield hockey player selected for 2021 GB Elite Development Programme

Millfield Upper Sixth hockey player Kitty Chapple from Taunton has been selected for the Great Britain Elite Development Programme as the only schoolgirl in the squad. Kitty becomes the third Millfield student in recent years to be selected for the programme whilst still at school.  

Eighteen-year-old Kitty will join recent Old Millfieldian’s Stuart Rushmere, Toby Reynolds-Cotterell and Vicky McCabe in the Elite Development programme, all with aspirations of playing senior international hockey and with goals of selection for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Kitty joined Millfield in Year 9 and plays for Clifton Robinson’s Hockey Club in the Investec Women’s Premier League alongside studying for three A levels in Biology, Italian and Music at Millfield School. A talented singer and trumpet player, Kitty also frequently performs in school concerts.

She will now take part in weekly EDP training sessions with her eye on making the Great Britain U21s for the upcoming World Cup in November 2021.

Former Millfield Hockey Olympians include Simon and Richard Mantell (GB, Beijing 2008) Ian Haley (South Africa, London 2012) and Cristina Schultze (Germany, Beijing 2008). Current nationals and internationals include GB Hockey goalkeeper Harry Gibson, Lauren Roberts (Wales) with Hannah Cozens (Wales).

Millfield’s Hockey programme features players at every level of the England Hockey Player Pathway, from grass roots level within the Academy Centre through to the Regional Performance Centre and on to National Age Group selection.

Players train on either of the school’s three water based FIH (Federation Internationale de Hockey) certified pitches and are coached by a team of three specialist coaches and over 20 dedicated academic staff. The Millfield Hockey programme includes specialised technical one-to-one coaching and athletic development sessions with full-time strength and conditioning coaches and performance analysis monitoring.

Director of Hockey Reggie Keates says, “We are all so thrilled for Kitty. She has developed tremendously well due to her work ethic and constant eagerness to learn, always embracing new challenges with excitement rather than trepidation. Individual development is a cornerstone of our school programme and Kitty’s success, as well as the other Millfieldians in the EDP are a great source of inspiration for our younger players.”