This past summer, we were fortunate to get to see the United States Women’s National Field Hockey Team compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics against incredible competition from all over the world. I know that one common question for field hockey players is how those players reached that level and got started with the USA Field Hockey pathway to begin.
As individual athletes, there are things to do to better yourself and your field hockey game on a daily basis, like playing with a school and club team. And beyond that, you can train on your own, but there are certainly ways to get more exposure into the USA Field Hockey realm, specifically if you have hopes of playing at the highest level possible.
While I have not played with the Senior U.S. National team, I have been involved with Team USA for over four years at this point. I got started as a freshman in high school, however, don’t hesitate to start as soon as possible!
The main way for youth and high school athletes to get experience with the national pathway is through a program called Nexus. Nexus, formerly Futures, is the way in which any field hockey player with hopes of playing at a higher level can jump into an intense training structure. Nexus runs every year through regions throughout the country, and registration is open to all U14 players and above. There are a series of trainings in the spring, individual to each region, and from those initial trainings, athletes are selected to a Regional Selection Camp with the most elite players by area. Then, the outstanding performers at Regional Selection Camp are invited to the Nexus Championship, held in Virginia Beach in July. At the Nexus Championship, teams are randomly created, and players are evaluated through several games of play in a tournament structure. The Nexus Championship brings together the best of the best players for every age group, providing them with the chance to showcase their talent because selections go beyond the tournament held in Virginia Beach. At the conclusion of the event, the selectors consult and ultimately invite about 50 players to their age group’s national team Selection Camp held the following winter once fall seasons conclude. There are U.S. National Teams for U16, U18, and U21 age groups in addition to the Senior National Team and development squad. After the selection camps, the official roster is named for the year, and later a traveling tour roster depending on where the team is playing competitively that year.
However, the Junior National Teams turnover every year because of the age group system. Therefore, all athletes recycle into the Nexus program, giving every field hockey player the chance to get selected to play for our country. Regardless, playing with USA Field Hockey is an amazing way to improve your skills and field hockey play all around, challenging yourself and getting better.
