FUTURES LINKS
- Regions Homes
- Region 1: Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire
- Region 2: Massachusetts
- Region 3: Connecticut, Rhode Island
- Region 4: New York
- Region 5: Pennsylvania
- Region 6: New Jersey
- Region 7: Delaware, Maryland, DC
- Region 8: Virginia, North Carolina, South
- Region 9: Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Pittsburgh
- Region 10: Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado
- Region 11: California
USA Field Hockey Futures Program
Presented by YOLO
Updated on December 3, 2009
2010 Futures Information (downloadable pdf) >>
Futures Registration has been EXTENDED to Tuesday, December 15.
USA Field Hockey has announced that registration for the 2010 Futures program will commence on Monday, October 19, 2009 through Tuesday, December 15. Invitations will be mailed the week of October 5, 2009 and email reminders will follow shortly thereafter.
It is important to note that registration may only be done online. To start the registration process, participants must first login to the membership page of USA Field Hockey.
PLEASE REVIEW the updated Futures policies for 2010 >>
In its efforts to continually raise the level of field hockey in the United States, USA Field Hockey introduced its Olympic Development initiative -- The Futures Program -- in 1990. Through Futures, USA Field Hockey evaluates and identifies talented young athletes with the potential to become future Olympic level athletes.
Mission and Goals
The mission of the Futures Program is to regionally develop the best athletes for the purpose of identifying talented “future” Olympic level athletes, and to strengthen the level of field hockey throughout the United States.
The goal of the Futures Program is to develop the Futures athletes’ skills and understanding of the game. Skills and hockey concepts will be further developed through repetition and ball touches. By the end of the Futures Program, athletes will be identified for further development as well as the overall skill level of our athletes improved
Today, this elite program features more than 4,800 athletes participating in specialized monthly training sessions from January to June that culminate with Regional Tournaments conducted through the program's 11 nation-wide regions. From the regional events, athletes may be selected to compete in the programs ultimate event, The National Futures Championship.
All athletes enter the Futures Program through a trial procedure. Depending on where an athlete resides, different trial options are available.
Administration
Each of the Futures Program's 11 regions is staffed with a Regional Coaching Director and a Regional Administrative Director who implement the program within the region. The Regional Directors work directly with the Director of Olympic Development Programs and the Assistant Director of Olympic and Sport Development Programs.
All participants receive coaching based on a nationwide curriculum developed by Terry Walsh, Technical Director for USA Field Hockey. The Futures Curriculum is a cutting edge technical program and first of it’s kind in the world for field hockey. The program is available to our Futures Coaches online and comes complete with ten futures sessions and video skill illustrations to compliment each skill, technique, tactic, and strategy. A video based program provides a consistent and systematic approach to training our Futures athletes.
The curriculum is designed to improve a participant’s fundamentals and tactics and to teach advanced skills being used by Olympic level hockey players.
Athletes in the Futures Program are divided into age-group categories: Under 19, Under 16, and Under 14. Ages are determined as of December 31.
Within the Futures Program, athletes are regionally split into two levels, Level I (regional best) and Level II (developmental). These levels are based on the athlete’s present skill level and / or the athlete’s potential for development as determined by the athlete’s performance based on the National Selection Criteria. A third level, the Futures Elite, is a national select group of athletes identified from the National Futures Championship to participate in additional training opportunities. Within the Futures Elite level a top tier is identified as the Olympic Development Select.
Selection opportunities from the Futures Program
Regional Futures Tournament. The Futures Program culminates with a Regional Tournament open to all athletes registered in the Futures Program within each region. There are eleven regional tournaments. The Regional Tournament is a fun, festive tournament meant to give the athletes the opportunity to display their talents in a competitive environment. At the regional tournaments, selectors choose the athletes to represent their region at the National Futures Championship.
National Futures Championship presented by YOLO. The National Futures Championship is held each year following the Futures Regional Tournament. The National Futures Championship features 16 under-19 teams, 16 under-16 teams, and 6 under-14 teams. The National Tournament is a six day event with the first day designated as a practice day. Selectors at the event choose athletes to attend the Elite Teams Trial Camp, the Olympic Development Selection Camp, the AAU Junior Olympic Games, the Canadian / USA Challenge Cup and offer invitations to Futures Elite (national best).
AAU Junior Olympic Games. Only Under 16 athletes may qualify or participate in the field hockey event of the AAU Junior Olympic Games. The Junior Olympic Games are sponsored by the Amateur Athletic Union. USA Field Hockey is responsible for the field hockey aspect of the event. Athletes are selected to attend Junior Olympic Games from the National Futures Championship. From Juniors Olympics the U-16s are further identified for the Futures Elite program. Athletes are also identified for their potential advancement.
Futures Elite: Futures Elite represents the best high school field hockey athletes in the country. These athletes have been identified as having the skills, talent, and potential to successfully continue through the Junior High Performance Program. Futures Elite includes approximately 150 athletes spanning the U14, U16 and U19 age groups. Future Elite Athletes are identified and selected based on their performance at each year’s National Futures Championship. Additional athletes may also be selected to Futures Elite from the AAU Junior Olympics.
Futures Development Invitational Camp (FDIC): The FDIC is an Invitational Development Camp open only to athletes in the Futures Elite Program and is Directed by the USA Field Hockey National Coaching staff and USA Field Hockey’s top Olympic Development and High Performance coaches.
Junior National Camp: The Junior National Camp (JNC), is a four-day camp held every June/July. Athletes are invited to attend the JNC from Futures Elite and the Senior and Junior Women’s National Championships.
Olympic Development Select Athletes: Starting in 2010, Olympic Development Select will represent the group of athletes that comprise the U16, U19 and U21 National Teams. ODS annually includes approximately 48-54 athletes. Please note that all ODS athletes are also part of Futures Elite, and are eligible for all benefits available for FE. Olympic Development Select athletes are selected at the Junior National Camp (JNC), which is a four-day camp held every June/July. Athletes are invited to attend the JNC from Futures Elite and the Senior and Junior Women’s National Championships.
Once an athlete is named to Futures Elite they are part of Junior High Performance. CLICK HERE to learn more about Junior High Performance. To view the Olympic Development Pipeline, please click here.