Why field hockey's transfer portal works differently than you think
Understanding the numbers, the patterns, and whether the portal is actually a backup plan
The transfer portal is chaos. Players constantly transferring. Rosters in perpetual flux. The death of four-year commitments.
That’s the story in football and basketball.
Field hockey? Different story entirely.
The numbers tell a different story
D1 entries peaked at 183 in 2023-24, then dropped to 137 in 2024-25. Even at its peak, less than 11% of all D1 players entered the portal in a given year.
That’s the opposite trajectory of revenue sports, where portal numbers keep climbing.
Why is field hockey different?