Local 17-year old hockey junior Coady Stone (Orchard Hills) has been selected for the NSW U18 Boys Blues team, which will compete in Brisbane, QLD in January at the Australian Indoor Hockey Championships.

Coady began his hockey career at the age of 3, playing for Rooty Hill RSL in the Under 7 competition.

He continued playing for Rooty Hill RSL through to Under 16’s, when he also joined Briars in the Sydney East competition to play in the 1st Grade Men’s competition.

Coady is a member of the #Accelerated Athlete Program (AAP) and also attends the Kieran Govers Academy.

A student at St Dominic’s College, Coady also plays outdoor hockey with the Nepean Hockey Association.

#The Athlete Acceleration Program is aimed at talented athletes aged 16 – 18 years, an age range where skill development is crucial to an athlete’s progress.

A highly targeted program developed collaboratively with the NSWIS and Hockey Australia, which develops players both on and off the field.

With athletes selected from every region, the program establishes a means for athletes from any area to advance their skills to the elite level.

Currently, the program caters for 60 Boys and 60 Girls across both age groups and is regarded as NSW most successful talent development program.