Field hockey is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. There are a large number of different tournaments and camps hosted at different colleges and sites throughout the year that allow high school athletes to get noticed and recruited by college coaches. Here are the three biggest tournaments for NCAA recruiting for field hockey:
Where: Tampa, FL
When: Thanksgiving weekend
Festival is the most well-known field hockey tournament in the United States. This tournament takes place during Thanksgiving weekend every year, and typically has hundreds of college coaches in attendance. The tournament includes many different age groups, ranging from U-12 to Adult, and the overall atmosphere of the tournament itself is just a fun experience. Most teams play around 6 games in 3 days, so there are plenty of opportunities for coaches to see players in action.
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Where: Midlothian, VA
When: Thanksgiving weekend
Shooting Star is another very well-known field hockey tournament. This tournament also takes place during Thanksgiving weekend every year. This tournament is a great one for two major reasons. First of all, the tournament is played on turf, whereas Festival is played on grass. This allows for the ball to move much faster and is actually much more similar to the speed of play in college. Secondly, the college coaches in attendance at Shooting Star are given film access to every game at the event.
Where: Virginia Beach, VA
When: June 23-30
The Nexus Championship provides a great opportunity for exposure to college coaches. In order to participate in this tournament, individual athletes must have been selected to compete for their region after going through the Nexus training program. This tournament is excellent because of the elite level of play and the fast playing surface. Many college coaches really value this tournament and use it to do a majority of their recruiting.
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* Originally published on June 3, 2022, by Macy McHale
