"It all starts with a small spark..."
Coach Mark at the state tournament in 1994

The North Central Blaze follows in the foot steps of the one of the great AAU organizations in Massachusetts, The Northern Mass Fire. Founded in the mid-80's by Larry Giles, the Fire program developed many college prospects and continued with tremendous success into the early 90's. After a year sabbatical, the Fire program ended and under the guidance and leadership of Peter Fredriksen, the North Central Blaze took off.

The North Central Blaze currently fields several teams from U10-U16 and is run by a board of directors. The Blaze hosts three outstanding tournaments every year in the Groton/Fitchburg area.

Many of the girls playing for the Blaze have received letters and invitations from colleges throughout the East Coast. Some of our former players can be found at Colby Sawyer, St. Michaels, Southern Florida, Tampa Bay University, Mount Holyoke and Nichols College to name a few.

The North Central Blaze is focused on it's players. We carefully pick our coaches so personal egos and desires do not interfere with the development of our players. We truly strive to provide all girls in Central and Northern Massachusetts with the best coaching and skill development possible. We have players who travel over an hour just to play for us. This year we are very proud to announce that some of our players from our very first team are beginning to coach in our program.

Cost to play for the Blaze usually runs between $200 - $400 dollars. All players receive a pro quality uniform and have the opportunity to purchase team bags, jackets and sweatshirts.

For more information, contact one of our coaches in the coaches section or read some of the common Q & A's below...

Age qualification and eligibility:
For girls AAU basketball, the designation 14U means 14 years old and younger. You are eligible for whatever age you are at 12:00:00 AM, January 1st 2004. For example, if you turn 14, on or after, January 1st, 2004, you can play 13U or higher. If you turn 14, on or before, December 31st, 2003, you must play 14U or higher. However, AAU is the most competitive level of basketball in the United States today, it is generally recommended that you play at your own age level.
(Note boys have a different eligibility rule)

Practices:
Usually two per week. This will vary by team. Practice policy will vary by individual coach.

When does AAU play its games?
Girls AAU usually play a four game tournament style format. There will be two games on Saturday and two games on Sundays at every tournament. Your coach will not know the times of the games until the Monday preceding the tournament. Tournament directors usually wait to schedule games until the last minute so they can have as many teams as possible participate.

How many tournaments?
This will vary by team. Usually between six and eight.

What is the Cost?
The costs run between $35 and $45 per tournament per player. There is an additional fee of $65 player fee which covers uniform use and equipment. So the season total can run from $250 to $450 per player not including any expenses for travel.

Does the Blaze have it's own tournaments?
Yes we do. This year it will be held on June 12th & 13th at venues in Groton, Townsend, Fitchburg and Pepperell and a smaller tournament on May 15th & 16th at Fitchburg State College and a fall tournament in Ashburnham.

Do parents have to volunteer at the Blaze tournament?
Yes every parent has to volunteer two hours of time at the tournament. (If a player has two parents then it is a total of four hours per player.) An older sibling or the player herself can perform the volunteer duties at the 13U and up level.

Why does the Blaze have its own tournament?
The Blaze is one of the few organizations that does not charge its players any tuition fees. Each player pays exactly her share of the tournament fees and uniform costs. The tournament is our only cash positive event. It pays for items such as basketballs, insurance and game books.

Are the coaches compensated?
No, all coaches are volunteers. In fact if you add in incidentals such as making copies, long distance phone calls etc, it actually costs money to coach for the Blaze.