The mission of USA Field Hockey's Futures Program is to strengthen the level of field hockey throughout the United States.

About USA Field Hockey's Futures Program

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.

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 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 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:  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 at the Futures Development Invitational Camp, international tours and the U-19 USA/Canada Field Hockey Challenge Cup.

USA / Canada Challenge Cup:    First conducted in 2004, the USA Canadian Challenge Cup features three teams from British Columbia against three 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.

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. 

Olympic Development Select Camp (OD Select): From the National Futures Championship the top 50 athletes are selected and invited to attend this top U-19 camp.  The camp runs in conjunction with the Elite Teams Trial Camp and is traditionally run during a four day period the third week in July.  The OD Select athletes are considered the top athletes and include all athletes under 19 (which is inclusive of U19, U16, and U14 athletes). 

Olympic Development Select Athletes: Athletes receiving an invitation to attend the OD Select Camp become the OD 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).

Elite Teams Trial Camps.  The High Performance Squad Trial is the culmination of the USA Field Hockey Women's Pipeline.  Athletes will be invited from events indicated on the pipeline to participate in the Trial.  The U21/U19 Squads will be selected from the Trial. Athletes may also be identified by the National Coaching Staff as potential Resident Squad members.

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 2005 Futures Program, athletes will be identified for further development as well as the overall skill level of our athletes improved 

Updated: Sept 2006