ELITE PERFORMANCE ACADEMY

The EPA (Elite Performance Academy) is for our most committed youth players who are looking to take their game to the next level and be the leading force of Handball in England. Players from this program go onto pursue professional contracts, play abroad or further their Handball journey into coaching/teaching and officiating becoming the next generation of Handball leaders.

The Elite Performance Academy is a full-time Handball programme – alongside academic studies – individually tailored to allow each athlete to achieve their potential.

The programme is managed and led by an experienced Full-Time Handball Coach (with Assistant Coaches), supported by a wide team of sport science specialists – S&C Coach, Physiotherapist, Nutritionist, Psychologist, etc – focusing on the holistic development of each player.

In the Elite Performance Academy, athletes have a standard plan of 7-8 sessions per week, with access to individually based Handball sessions (2-3 per week), S&C session (2-3 per week), club sessions (2 per week).
In a 2 Years Programme, each athlete will have access to approximately 250 EPA Handball sessions, 150 S&C sessions, and 90 club sessions, Nutrition and Video Analysis workshops, alongside specific opportunities to compete abroad.

This level of exposure to high standard handball aims to match the reality of the bigger nations and, by doing so, to allow for our players to have a chance to develop and explore opportunities that would be hard to achieve with the average 1 or 2 session(s) per week that our clubs can offer, both with National team representation as with opportunities to play abroad.

Players can still play for their clubs whilst on EPA as, for now, EPA does not operate as a regular team. Local clubs (Nottingham HC and Loughborough HC), can also be a solution if players desired to do so.
Loughborough College offers a wide variety of A-levels and B-TECs, as well as a link with the prestiged Loughborough University.

https://www.loucoll.ac.uk/courses/subject-areas

Book your place on the next Open Day – 11th of May – 9.30am – 1pm


Book Here

APPLY TO THE EPA

Assessment Progress Review & Assessments

Each athlete will receive during the season frequent reports & reviews based on assessments around individual goal setting.

 

 

Background

The EPA started in September 2020 with 9 athletes. In 2021-22, 17 athletes developed their potential in the Academy. At the end of that school year, the first cohort finished their programme. In 2022-23, 25 athletes are participating in the EPA programme.

Training Spaces

The EPA Handball sessions are delivered at the 2 College Halls (use of resin allowed), and the S&C sessions at the College Gym which are fully equipped to develop young talents.

Link with the different GB Teams and Exit Routes

95% of the EPA athletes are participating and/or have participated in GB activities. In 2022-23, 6 former EPA athletes joined Ikast Academy in Denmark.

Safeguarding

England Handball has a dedicated and continuous pastoral care to support the athletes facing the challenges of participating in a demanding full-time programme, at a young age living away from home. Alongside, the College has a Safeguarding and Wellbeing Team, working with the athletes, coaches and College teachers and tutors. EHA provides additional support from the Safeguarding Lead Officer when required.

Where is the EPA?

The programme is based at Loughborough College, which has 20 years’ experience in Developing Talents, alongside their academic lives, with 15 Academies from different Sports.


The College has on-site Accommodation (Gables) available for Elite Athletes rated as Outstanding by Ofsted with an Accommodation team on call 24 hours a day, and a self-catering system.


https://www.loucoll.ac.uk/student-services/accommodation


There are also options to join EPA as a non-resident, participating fully in the programme activities.

Find out more about Loughborough College

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