<p>DD'15 & I just returned from the ESPN Disney Field Hockey Showcase in Orlando. 3,000 field hockey players and approximately 200 coaches participating in 4 days of non-stop field hockey in sunny Orlando. Wow. If there are any field hockey parents on the board, this is a great event for your player and her team to attend next year to been seen, if she wants to play at the next level.</p>
<p>As you can tell, it was DD's first trip to this dance. D emailed the schools she has initial interest in that she would be attending. Several came to see her team play. </p>
<p>What an outstanding experience for D and her team mates to be exposed to! There were college coaches at almost every game, with gaggles attending some of the higher profile contests. The girls all knew when the Ivy League, NESCAC and other higher profile coaches were in the bleachers watching their game. The girls would whisper " Did you see the _______ coach watching, I think she was here to watch _________ play." Very cute.</p>
<p>Another parent & I had the opportunity to chat with a D III coach for 15-20 minutes as she was taking a break from watching a particular club team her school often receives recruits from. We weren't bothering her since she needed a break as she'd seen more than enough of that team play that particular day.</p>
<p>Her school runs a summer field hockey clinic in concert with summer visit days. They try to put the schools best foot forward when the prospective student-athlete is on campus, mixing the camp with campus tours & admissions presentations. The school attracts about 15-20 players for each of their two summer camps. Of the 30-40 campers annually the camp generates a total of 4-5 rostered players. This coach's biggest challange is getting the recruits through admissions due to admittance standards. </p>
<p>Our take-aways from this:
1. The event is well run, well organized & well attended by coaches.
2. Grades, grades & test scores are key.
3. There is a spot for your D to play, if she wants to play at the next level. There are many schools looking for players who want to play and can stay eligible.</p>
<p>Similarly very well run and attended event (one of many) in Orlando for girls lacrosse called President’s Cup - in the fall sometime.</p>
<p>Another great recruiting opportunity is the National Field Hockey Festival – held over Thanksgiving weekend each year (has alternated between the west and east coast over the years). I know many players that were recruited at festival as late as Senior year (our D being one).</p>
<p>The size/scope of the event is similar (> 200 teams, > 300 players, >25 fields) and is billed as the largest field hockey event.</p>
<p>CA Parent: Thank you! D’s club coach spoke to me about D attending The Festival upcoming this Fall. </p>
<p>My wife & I wanted to have D dip her toes into field hockey recruiting at Disney to see:
- What FH recruiting was all about…D has played in collegiate softball showcases previously.
- How her skill set compared to the best players/teams in her age group so we had a realistic idea and manage D’s expectations.</p>
<p>Disney always is top notch in everything they do. This was Ds third Disney, she just signed her NLI to play for a D1 college in the fall. It is exciting for the players to see all the college coaches watching- makes it seem more “real”. Agree that Festival is another great opportunity to be seen by coaches, as well as NITs. If you D is interested in D1, D2 and top tier D3 she should definitely attend Disney/Festival and NIT’s (if her club team qualifies). Additionally, Futures is also a good idea (although futures can be a bit political, coaches do look at that). However, if you D is interested in a not so competitive D3, she still has a great opportunity to play at the college level without attending any of the above. There are plenty of fh players in our area that did not play club, attend showcases or participate in futures and have “committed” to play for D3 schools. (living in Pa/NJ also helps :).</p>
<p>Futures is excellent for building needed skills - especially on actual FH turf and in areas where there is not much club opportunity. It is often the only place where many younger players get to play on FH turf. It is also possible to make good connections over time as much of the coaching staff are college coaches or college players – also a good place to make connections for finding extra spots on club teams to join for Festival.</p>
<p>There are many levels of play at the college level, it takes a huge commitment at any competitive D1 school.</p>
<p>Threesdad - I did get your PM; and attempted to respond; however, CC will not allow me to respond until I have 15 posts…I will work on that and get back to you as soon as I can…</p>
<p>How many D1 scholarships are there per college in field hockey? And how are they typically allocated among the players?</p>
<p>From scholarshipstats.com:</p>
<p>260 schools sponsored varsity level Field Hockey teams during 2012:
D 1 maximum of 12 scholarships. D II- 6.3 scholarships</p>
<p>78 DI teams 1,742 players, 29 D II teams, 658 players & 153 D III schools, 3,232 players. Average roster size D1-D III is 22.</p>
<p>Thanks Threesdad. So best case everyone on a D1 team gets about a 50% scholarship, but I’m guessing some will get full rides and others will get nothing or a small percentage. Does anyone have specifics for their college?</p>
<p>Vballmom: I’m hoping someone else can answer you question - I’m not certain how D I athletic aid is divided. DD is not that far along in the recruiting process. She is mainly looking at academic D III’s & Patriot League schools, so athletic aid isn’t really in the mix.</p>
<p>Each head coach decides how to divide scholarships. Some players may receive a full ride while others may not receive any initial money. Coaches may change the amount of scholarship an athlete receives on a yearly basis. It is all discretionary. At some schools, coaches provide the most athletic money to seniors, while others use full rides to attract out of country athletes. I was informed by a former D1 field hockey player (who I interviewed for possible employment), that all of the foreign players on her collegiate team were given full athletic scholarships.</p>