Great Falls Field Hockey runs programs in the Fall and Spring.  

For those looking for more field hockey playing opportunities, here are a few that you can participate in during the winter, spring, and summer:

1. Winter Club Teams (mostly winter)
2. USA Field Hockey - Futures (Spring/Summer)
3. Camps (Summer)

Below are descriptions of each option, and instructions for how to get involved.

1. Winter Club Teams

Most club teams play indoor field hockey with the exception of a couple outdoor tournaments in the Spring/Summer/Fall. Indoor is pretty different from outdoor field hockey. Indoor field hockey is played indoor (obviously) on a hard surface similar to a basketball court; players use a thinner stick (yes, it makes a difference); and you wear sneakers and gloves. Indoor field hockey is a great way to improve skills because the game is incredibly fast and played on a small court. It's also a lot of fun. 

Indoor club field hockey is going to be more intense than the Great Falls League because you have tryouts and your working toward final tournament (National Indoor Tournament) in February. If you're looking to take field hockey to the next level, we recommend playing on an indoor club. The players who have played indoor usually have noticeably more ball control. 

Below are some clubs in the area that you can tryout for. This is not necessarily all-inclusive (but we tried).  Please feel free to do your own research. Also, please check the dates of the tryouts to confirm that the below is correct.

Also, some clubs, like Potomac Field Hockey and Beyond Sticks (Storm), have indoor developmental clinics during the winter that do not require tryouts.  Here is a link to the PFH Winter Indoor Developmental league information:

http://potomacfieldhockey.org/Page.asp?n=127309&org=potomacfieldhockey.org

2. USA Field Hockey - Futures

Futures is a great way to get better. It isn't going to be a team like the club teams, but you will be assigned to a "site" where you will have skills sessions throughout the Spring, which are normally coached by college players and coaches. 

You do need to "tryout" for futures which is a time trial. The trial is basically a dribbling course, where you'll get timed as you go through. Once everyone has submitted their scores (from across the country), USA Field Hockey picks the top scores, and those players become part of the program. Note: You only need to make it into the program once. If a U12 player makes it, they don't need to participate in another trial the following year. Hundreds of players participate in futures, so you do not need to be a super experienced player to get a qualifying score. 

GFLA is planning to provide time trial opportunities.  Please stay tuned for more info.

You do not need a USA Field Hockey Membership (~$25) to participate in the trial, but you do need to pay for the membership if you want to submit the score to USA Field Hockey for consideration to be accepted into Futures. All trial times are due the USA Field Hockey by November 11. 

3. Camps

If your daughter is in 8th grade and plans to play in high school, we recommend attending a camp the summer before high school. Camps are 2-5 days of field hockey, where players spend a ton of time with a stick in their hand. It will also get them ready for pre-season, because pre-season in high school involves ~2 practices per day, and the days are hot.

Sleep away camps and day camps are good.  Please contact Coach Katie Knapp (katieknapp12@gmail.com) if you are looking for a recommendation on a camp to attend.