On a breezy, partly cloudy afternoon, the practice field at Alexandria Country Day School is littered with cones, athletic bags and field hockey sticks. Alex Purugganan unloads equipment from his black car, which is adorned with stickers. Among them is a purple logo that reads: AVA Magic.

Purugganan is the  owner and co-founder of AVA Magic, Alexandria’s first year-round field hockey club. Purugganan founded the club alongside his eldest daughter, Philomena Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald is a local field hockey legend in her own right. She grew up in Alexandria, attending T.C. Williams High School (now Alexandria City High School), where she was recently inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Fitzgerald returned to Alexandria after college to work for the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, where her role is to help small businesses access resources.

The club launched its first clinic in 2022. On the field that day, there were three people: a coach and two players, one of whom was Fitzgerald’s younger sister.