Created to promote good sportsmanship and dedicated to field hockey pioneer Barbara Longstreth, the award will be presented to teams in each of the three USA Field Hockey's National Futures Championship age groups that best exemplify the qualities of fair play, graciousness in winning and respect for opponents and officials.

The National Futures Championship is scheduled for June 23-28 at the USA Field Hockey National Training Center in Virginia Beach, Va.

"It really is our honor to be able to present the Barbara Longstreth Sportsmanship Award at our premier event for Futures athletes," said USA Field Hockey Executive Director Sheila Walker. "Barbara has been synonymous with the sport of field hockey for more than 50 years, and it is only fitting that the award be dedicated to the qualities of respect and fair play that she has demonstrated both on the field and in her business ventures."

A team in each of the U14, U16 and U19 divisions at the Futures National Championship will earn medals in recognition of the honor as selected by participating coaches and USA Field Hockey selectors.

A member of the U.S. National Teams from 1956 to 1964, Longstreth began her field hockey career at Beaver College (now Arcadia Univ.) in the 1950s where she excelled in both field hockey and lacrosse. As a member of the U.S. National Team, she competed in the USA's epic 3-3 draw with England in front of 56,000 spectators at historic Wembley Stadium during the team's 1962 tour of Great Britain and Denmark. In 1963, she was a member of the USA's International Federation of Women's Hockey Associations (IFWHA) Conference team for an event that would become the precursor to today's women's World Cup.

Longstreth continued her devotion to the game as a coach and eventually founded Longstreth Sporting Goods in 1977. Beginning the enterprise by selling field hockey sticks from the trunk of her car at tournaments, Longstreth established her company in Parkers Ford, Pa. where it has become the country's leader in specialty sports products for women. She announced her retirement from the company earlier this year.

The culmination of USA Field Hockey's Futures Program, the National Futures Championship features the top athletes from a nation-wide pool of more than 5,000 program participants. In the Futures Program, athletes receive five months of elite-level training and tactical instruction in preparation for an athlete’s possible future selection to the USA National Team. Following their regional training, Futures athletes compete in regional tournaments where the top players are then selected to compete at the national championship tournament.

www.usafieldhockey.com