USA Field Hockey's Futures Elite:

Selection opportunities from the Futures Program

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 Longstreth.  The National Futures Championship is held each year following the Futures Regional Tournament. Currently, the tournament includes 38 teams representing 646 top athletes.  The National Futures Championship features 16 under-19 teams, 16 under-16 teams, and 6 under-14 teams.  The National Championship is a six day event with the first day designated as a practice day.   Selectors at the event choose athletes to attend the Junior National Camp,  the AAU Junior Olympic Games, 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 AAU 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:  Based on the athlete’s performance during the National Futures Championship - and in some cases, the Junior Olympic Games - athletes may be selected into the Futures Elite.   The Futures Elite represents the top athletes in USA Field Hockey's Futures Program, and athletes are given the opportunity to participate in additional training opportunities during the year. All Futures Elite athletes must continue to participate in the Futures Program to take advantage of the elite opportunities. Athletes in all age groups may qualify for the Futures Elite and athletes must be selected to the National Futures Championship to qualify for selection to Futures Elite.  Additional training opportunities for Futures Elite Athletes may include programs and events such as the Futures Development Invitational Camp, international tours and Futures Elite Regional Training.

USA / Canada Challenge Cup:    First conducted in 2004, the USA Canadian Challenge Cup features teams from British Columbia against Futures Elite teams in a series of games.  In addition to the on-field competition, athletes are involved in entertaining cultural and social events during the course of the event. The Challenge is expected to rotate between the USA and Canada each year.

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.

Futures Elite Tours.  Each year, tours are planned for the Futures Elite.  Minimally we plan a tour to The Netherlands over the Easter / Spring break holiday.  Other tours may develop based on International invitations and USA Field Hockey’s calendar openings.   Depending on the year, tour options may change.  The tours are all self-funded. 

Junior National Camp: From the National Futures Championship the top 50 athletes are selected and invited to attend this elite camp.  The camp runs in conjunction with college level athletes selected from the High Performance Pipeline. Selection opportunities that exist from the Junior National Camp includes the selection of the U21 National Team, USA/Canada Challenge Cup Teams, and the selection into Olympic Development Select. 

Olympic Development Select Athletes: Athletes who attend the Junior National Camp, in most cases, become the Olympic Development Select athletes for the upcoming year.  Athletes may be added to this group based on talent identification which results from athletes being identified based on their performance during any USA Field Hockey program.  The OD Select is not part of the Futures program; however, the Futures pipeline flows into the OD Select program.

As athletes are selected through the Olympic Development pipeline into higher level programs, the athletes move from Futures (Olympic Development) into High Performance (National Team identification).