The United States Field Hockey Association (USFHA) has developed an indoor system that enables clubs like our own to play against some of the best competition throughout the country.  All clubs must be registered with USFHA to be eligible to participate within this system.

USFHA has established three age divisions (U14, U16, & U19) that are all aiming to compete for a spot in the National Indoor Tournament (NIT).   This year the NIT will be held over two weekends.  The first weekend of March will be the U19 division in Virginia Beach, VA and the second weekend of March will be the U16 & U14 divisions in Richmond, VA.  In order to compete in the NIT, a team must first compete successfully in a NIT Qualifier Tournament.  These tournaments are located in a variety of areas around the country to give all clubs from each state a chance to qualify.

There are a number of Qualifier Tournaments for the U16 and U19 age groups.   Depending on the number of teams entered into a Qualifier Tournament; anywhere from 3 to 8 teams will qualify for the NIT.   Only six teams in one age division from the same club can participate in Qualifier Tournaments.

There are no qualifiers for the U14 age group.   Instead, clubs submit registration forms for their U14 teams and USFHA holds a lottery to choose the teams and then contacts the club with the amount of teams they will be able to bring to the NIT.  Within the KaPow Klub, we hold our very own U14 KaPow Qualifier, where all of the U14 KaPow teams compete in a 1-day tournament to determine which team(s) will represent our club at the NIT.

At the NIT, each team is placed into a Pool based on the team's performance at its Qualifier Tournament.   The higher a team places in the Qualifier, the higher Pool that team will be placed in at the NIT.   The goal is to keep similar level teams in similar pools.   If a club should have two or more teams finish in the same place at their qualifiers, it is up to the USFHA to make the adjustment in moving the teams into different pools.  This helps to ensure that teams do not play against other teams from their own club at the NIT.

For the 2009/2010 season, we were extremely proud to have three U19 and three U16 teams qualify for the NIT.  We look forward to building on last year's success, and creating memories of a lifetime in the process!

Good luck this season ladies!