U-14 girls' club field hockey kicks off USA Field Hockey's 2026 NCCs

WC Eagles and IFHCK competed in the 2025 U14 National Club Championship gold medal game. Photo: USA Field Hockey

The WC Eagles have set the standard at USA Field Hockey’s National Club Championships, winning more medals than any other club since the inception of the tournament.

Launched by USA Field Hockey in 2011, the National Club Championships have grown into a showcase for many of the country’s top club programs, expanding over 15 years in both field size and age divisions.

The tournament has become a key summer stop on the domestic field hockey calendar, giving athletes exposure to college recruiters and USA Field Hockey scouts while clubs compete for national points within the organization’s system.

Its qualification process has evolved as well. Teams were initially accepted on a first-come, first-served basis before USA Field Hockey added Regional Club Championships, requiring clubs in each age group to earn their place on the national stage.

The event debuted in 2011 with U-17 and U-19 girls divisions, each divided into eight pools. A year later, USA Field Hockey added U-14 girls and reclassified U-17 as U-16, creating the three-division structure that helped shape the tournament’s growth.

By 2015, USA Field Hockey had added the National Club Challenge in Virginia Beach, Va., for the U-14, U-16 and U-19 girls divisions. Created as a companion event to the National Club Championships, it gave teams that finished third or fourth at the Regional Club Championships another national-stage opportunity.

The tournament paused in 2020 because of COVID-19, then resumed in 2021 with expansion in 2023, when each age division grew from 16 to 24 teams with the addition of play-in teams.

In 2024, USA Field Hockey introduced a revised pool-play format. Teams opened within their pools, with the top two advancing to the top-16 bracket before second-day crossovers set the final placement games.

The event was held in Virginia Beach for its first three years before moving to Lancaster, Pa., while USA Field Hockey trained there. From 2014 through 2019, the national event was held at Spooky Nook Sports.

Since resuming in 2021, the National Club Championships have been held at USA Field Hockey’s Virginia Beach Regional Training Center.

The 2026 National Club Championships open June 22 with the U-14 age classification. Play began at 7 a.m.

The tournament’s schedule, pools, and scores can be found by clicking this link.

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