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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m looking for feedback on field hockey clubs in the DMV.  I understand there’s been a lot of changes in the field hockey clubs in the DMV.

I’m looking to find clubs that coach kids and give playing time.

Here’s what I have gathered so far.  I wanted to see what others think of the feedback I have gathered.

1.  Next Level - great coaching, pretty good playing time, many levels of teams.  Rising up in ranking by winning many tournaments. Strong connection to Upenn.  
2.  Freedom - great coaching for the elite players, good playing time because many levels of teams.  Elite team - great D1 college recruitment. 
3.  Washington Wolves - so so coaching.  Less coaching, more buddy buddy with players.  Very limited playing time for non top players.  Small club.  Dropping in elite status.
4.  Alpha - so so coaching.  Pretty good playing time, many levels of team.  So so in recruitment.
5.  Warhawks - good coaching.  Pretty good playing time, many levels of team.  Elite team - great D1 college recruitment. 
6.  Hussel - so so coaching.  Limited playing time for non top players.  So so in recruitment.

[/quote]

All of the clubs have limited playing time for non top players, in that if a team has multiple levels, only the top team is going to get a shot at Disney or Shooting Stars.  We are on Freedom and I know families with players on Next Level, Wolves, and Warhawks and they are all different but not always in obvious ways. To go down your list:

1. Next Level - the strong connection to Penn is three players, all of whom are still in HS. The current senior is a phenom and will do great there and the other two are very strong players as well. It is a unknown if the pipeline will continue and it is really rare for any club to send so many players to a single school (save WC Eagles and UNC). We have a few friends there and they are mostly happy though there are grumblings about the team getting too big, too fast and the coaching being very uneven. Their recruiting other than Penn is a player to Georgetown and another to Bates so they are making strides there too.
2. Freedom - definitely the powerhouse team in the greater area, though fewer kids from DC proper. I'm not happy with the current practice location (distance wise - the place is fine) but they do a pretty good job with practices being worthwhile. Our top teams are very strong and the middle-ish group that my youngest is on is ok, but hoping she continues to get better.
3. Wolves - we have a few old friends on the Wolves and I would disagree with your points. They do only have a single team per age group and limit numbers of players. Everyone gets playing time but it isnt guaranteed and I would suggest that it is ok to have to fight for playing time when there is only a single squad. As for dropping in elite status, there I would definitely disagree. Most recent national tournament (Disney) their 19 team tied with both Texas Pride Red and Spirit of USA (0-0 in both and lost to Spirit of USA in shootouts) and then lost to AGH 0-1.  Ask anyone in the club world and those stats put them up as a very strong team.  I believe they had a pretty strong Thanksgiving tournament as well. Also, their 19 team has commits to Syracuse, Columbia, 2 to Davidson, Cornell, Hopkins, and Kenyon; that is a strong set of college recruits.  One big negative is that with only one team per age group, trying out and making the team can be difficult and can lead to sour grapes for some. We live a little far away so we had to leave as getting to practices became difficult but if it were easier with three kids, we would still be there.
4. Alpha - Doug is a great technical coach but they are uneven in results. I don't personally like him, but the kids seem great.
5. Warhawks have grown tremendously recently due to the demise of several Baltimore are clubs. (Similarly, in DC and Moco, the disbanding of Storm and Koa sputtering has really bolstered Next Level's numbers and Spark selling to Freedom has really changed the makeup of the team as well)  We were on Warhawks for a bit and I would argue that playing time there is a lot more haphazard than it looks from the outside.
6. Husel - the club in your list that I'm least familiar with. When we do play them, they play a little rough. Reminds me of when we play Shore Byrds.

I think there is a home at one of these clubs for most kids. But as the PP mentioned, it really does depend on what your end game is. I do know that all of these coaches would not say anything too bad about each other's organizations. They are all collegial and get along quite well. Welma, Gloria, Sarah, Doug, all have a healthy respect for each other even if some of the kids end up talking trash.

Finally, if the end game is college recruiting, than I would express caution no matter the dreams of your child. There are 2000 D1 players in any given year and ~25+% are internationals. That leaves around 350 spots. Unless your kid is one of the kids making NEXUS or otherwise being a rockstar and catching the attention of a coaching staff, you are talking about fighting for around 100 spots left. Even in D3, if you were to take the top 25 programs (in academics, the sport, or a mix) there are only what, 150 spots in a class? Long are the odds and it is great that we have so many good clubs to choose from in this area that play competitive field hockey.[/quote]

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