Focus athletes aim to be hard-working, they love the game, are great teammates and are , well...focused. In order to ensure that the athletes have the success that they tell us they want to have, we have put together some player guidelines. Our players have had active input into these guidelines, and set the vast majority of what is outlined below themselves. Here are some of the requirements:

Signups and attendance 

• Be accountable for your own attendance for all practices, lessons and clinics; sign up and cancel in the appropriate way. Your attendance is the primary key to experiencing growth!

Before the session 

• Arrive at least 10 minutes before the stated start time. Use this time to stretch and warm-up as a group and get lots of individual stick and ball touches in before practice starts.  Some practices will have an "arrival activity" posted on a whiteboard - please follow these instructions if they are present, otherwise, be creative and game realistic in how you get your touches. Static passing in pairs, for example, is neither!

• Mentally prepare yourself to bring intrinsic motivation and your maximum effort, enthusiasm and intensity to practice.

During the session 

• Make yourself coachable: be engaged, willing to listen and ask questions. Receive feedback in a mature way, with group's best interest at heart, and attempt to make any changes requested of you. Hold both yourself and your team-mates accountable, and maintain high standards for yourself and others. Ask for help if you need it, and give it if you are asked for it.

• Be honest and open if issues arise – rather than talking behind each other's backs, take your problem straight to the source.  

• Listen when others – whether a coach or team-mate – are speaking so that there is only one voice talking at a given time. Maintain eye contact and acknowledge communication when spoken to, display positive body language, engage in team-talks. 

After the session 

• Before you leave, write down any key coaching points, feedback you have received and things you can work on.  

• Spend time prior to the next practice actively engaging in self-improvement, for example working on stick skills by yourself or with a couple of friends. Champions are made when no-one is looking! 

Off the field 

• Organize and prioritize your life to get a suitable balance between academic, field hockey, social life etc. Don't over-commit and spread yourself too thin! 

• Nutrition, rest, hydration and sleep are just as important as time spent at practice; make good choices here to "fuel your tank" and keep yourself physically and mentally fresh. 

• On social media, remember you are representing more than just yourself, and Focus is one of those things. Think before you post; nothing online is truly private and you are only one screenshot away from disaster. Ask yourself whether your post is something you would want a college coach or prospective employer to see. 

• As a Focus player, you are committed to play only with Focus. Athletes have a lot of options about where to play and can make the best decision for them. Focus commits to training and preparing our athletes to the best of our ability and, in return, Focus athletes are not to participate with other clubs.

Feedback, evaluations and conflict 

• Focus believes that athletes should learn to take responsibility for their own growth and improvement, to help them gain maturity and accountability.  

• All field-hockey related discussions, feedback and evaluations - whether initiated by the player or the club - take place directly between the player and the coach. As key stakeholders in the child's sporting development, parents are welcome to take part in any such conversations if they wish. 

• Regarding matters of a more sensitive or personal nature that are external to field hockey coaching, parents may contact club directors directly. 

• If there is dissatisfaction from a player around issues such as tournament rosters, playing time, playing position, conflict with a particular coach etc, Focus takes such matters seriously and has a procedure in place to address these. 

• Players and parents are asked to wait until at least 24 hours after an issue arises to initiate any complaints via phone or email. Should the initial discussion with a club director not resolve the matter, we will arrange a meeting between the parent, player, relevant coach and one other Focus club director.  

Recruiting (for athletes on the high-performance track)

• Be familiar with NCAA academic requirements

• Schedule and attend a recruiting meeting or webinar with Quan  and take personal responsibility for doing all recruiting homework. This is an ongoing process and requires regular meetings with Quan to discuss events to attend, proper communication with coaches, etc.

At all times... 

• Treat others with respect; this includes parents, team-mates, coaches, umpires, opposition players.