Our coaches can teach it because they can do it!
We are positive and encouraging to all of our players. In addition, we are also parents and understand young players. Our club is strongly rooted in care, compassion and development of our athletes.
Field hockey is an ever evolving sport due to technological advances in equipment and many constant changes in rules due mostly to safety. This often results in changes in techniques and tactics. With almost 55 years experience of playing and coaching at very high levels, Sean, Tiffany, Dan, Kaitlyn and Ahyodha are prepared to meet those challenges. One of their many strengths is their ability to break down technical skills and teach young players the correct way to execute them. We don't tell a player to do a drill, we teach them by showing them step by step how it is done.
Cleveland Field Hockey Club has participation from all high schools in northeast Ohio and even some from further away. CFHC offers something for every level of player. We cater for entry level players to college-bound athletes. CFHC is committed to developing field hockey in our region through grassroots development programs. It is a member club of the United States Field Hockey Association with teams that attend USAFHA and NFHCA recruiting events such as National Field Hockey Festival, National Indoor Qualifiers, National Indoor Tournament, Disney Showcase, Regional/National Club Championship, Winter Escape, Spring Fling, etc.
Cleveland Field Hockey Club teaches field hockey players the correct technical skills needed to play the sport such. Hitting, pushing, dodging, receiving, reverse sweeps, reverse stick hitting, stopping, flicking, aerials, deflections, turf style sweeps, etc are all skills we focus on.
The Cleveland Field Hockey Club also challenges all of its players and participants to become difference makers in different aspects of their lives, on and off the field hockey pitch.
The Cleveland Field Hockey Club “CFHC” was started by Ahyodha “Fuzzy” Kishna in 1999 as a field hockey club for adults. Ahyodha started the club in order to be able to continue to play after he moved to Cleveland. Over the years, talented high school players were invited to play with the adult team. From this relationship, parents asked for a high school club team to help coach and prepare players for their high school seasons, and those interested in playing at the collegiate level. In 2010 that became a reality and the club was successfully launched.
Our players are coached by Coach Kishna, Sean Baretto, Tiffany Saunders, Daniel Young and Kaitlyn Barnes. We also occasionally have guest coaches come out to some of our different programs.
Ahyodha is a former international field hockey player who represented Guyana as a goalkeeper and was then called up to play as a forward after he retired from goalkeeping. He has also played in many leagues including the North American Premier League. He continues to play competitively and organizes and plays in many tournaments here in Cleveland and around North America. Ahyodha recently resumed playing internationally, representing the USA at the FIH Masters World Cup, 2016 in Canberra, Australia. Coach Kishna has coached men’s teams, girls high school teams and at the college level for ladies.
Coach Kishna - USA vs. Australia FIH Masters World Cup 2016, Canberra, Australia
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Sean Baretto hails from Toronto, Canada and recently retired from the Canadian National Indoor Team. Sean has represented Canada in the Junior World Cup, 4 Indoor Pam American Cups and the Indoor World Cup in Germany 2015.
| Coach Baretto - Indoor World Cup, Leipzig, Germany 2015 |
Tiffany Saunders entered her third year as the head field hockey coach at Oberlin in 2017. Saunders came to Oberlin after serving as the lead assistant coach at Radford University (VA), her Alma mater, since 2009. On the field she worked closely with the team's forwards and goalies, while off of the field she was known for her tireless recruiting efforts.While playing at Radford, she was a four-year starter, helping the Highlanders to a runner-up finish in the 2003 NorPac Tournament and a 2004 East Division Championship, which included a perfect 6-0 regular season. She graduated from Radford in 2007 with a Bachelor’s in Social Work and ranked second in career assists with 20, with 18 coming over her final two seasons in a Highlander uniform. While coaching at Oberlin, Saunders successfully completed her Master’s degree at West Virginia University, Summa Cum Laude, while also transitioning her family on the big move from Virginia to Ohio. She is also a member of National Field Hockey Coaches Association and a graduate of Alliance of Women Coaches Academy. In her off-season, she helps with Cleveland Field Hockey club and is excited to expand the club in the next year. Tiffany resides in the Cleveland area with her husband Terence, their two kids Taliana (9) and Tavaris (4), as well as their two pups- Bella and Lady.
Dan is an excellent field hockey player a very experienced coach and player from Trinidad and Tobago. Dan has coached at many camps around the country and has also coached at field hockey programs on the east coast before moving here, (Dan’s wife is a current college coach) and is still also playing competitively.
Kaitlyn is a former Division One Field Hockey player at College of the Holy Cross. She was a 4 year starter at defense, Co-Captain, 2010, All-Patriot League Squad, 1st team, 2010, Voted Team Most Valuable player, 2010, Voted Rookie of the Year, 2006, Patriot League Honorable Mention, 2006. Kaitlyn is currently a doctoral candidate at Case Western Reserve University.
| Coach Barnes - Holy Cross vs. Bucknell, 2008 |
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