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USA Field Hockey Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates

Return to Play Guidelines & COVID-19 Action Plan

Updated: August 14, 2020

Below are organization's guidelines and resources:

Daily Updates

Updated: January 28, 2021

Updated: January 21, 2021

Updated: January 20, 2021

Updated: December 3, 2020

Updated: November 30, 2020

  • World Masters Hockey unanimously decided to cancel the Nottingham, Cape Town South Africa and Tokyo the Masters World Cups due to be held in 2021.

Updated: November 24, 2020

Updated: November 18, 2020

Updated: September 24, 2020

Updated: June 11, 2020

Updated: June 8, 2020

Updated: May 30, 2020

Updated: May 21, 2020

Updated: May 1, 2020

Updated: April 29, 2020

Updated: April 28, 2020

  • The 2020 World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cup set for August 8-17 in Nottingham, England has been postponed to August 13-22, 2021.

Updated: April 24, 2020

Updated: April 17, 2020

Updated: April 16, 2020

  • All Coaching Clinics scheduled now until May 31, 2020 have been postponed. USA Field Hockey’s Coach Education department is working closely with Level 1 and Level 2 Instructional Coaching Clinic and Technical Skills Workshop host sites and coach educators to reschedule these offerings.

Updated: April 10, 2020

Updated: April 3, 2020

Updated: March 26, 2020

  • The 2020 World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cups set for August 8-17 in Nottingham, England; September 19-28 in Cape Town, South Africa and November 5-15 in Tokyo, Japan have all been postponed. The WMH organization are in the process of being rescheduled for 2021.

Updated: March 24, 2020

  • Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Postponed to 2021
  • All Coaching Clinics scheduled now until April 30, 2020 have been postponed. USA Field Hockey’s Coach Education department is working closely with Level 1 and Level 2 Instructional Coaching Clinic and Technical Skills Workshop host sites and coach educators to reschedule these offerings.

Updated: March 23, 2020

Updated: March 20, 2020

  • Message from USA Field Hockey
  • With the confirmed cases continuing to rise globally and out of concern, it is for the best interest of all athletes of USA Field Hockey remain in the United States and self-quarantine in their homes. The upcoming U.S. U-16, Rise and U-21 Women’s National Team and U.S. Women’s National Development Team training camps for March 27 to 29 in Chapel Hill and Durham, N.C. and April 10 to 12 in Maryland have also been canceled. The U.S. Women’s National Development Team Scotland Tour original scheduled for April 16 to 22 has been canceled. The U-16 and Rise USWNT tour to England from April 29 to May 3 has been canceled.

Updated: March 19, 2020

Updated: March 18, 2020

  • USA Field Hockey and The Hill School decided to postpone the Beginner Umpire Clinic originally schedule for April 19 at The Hill School and Pottstown, Pa. Registrants will receive a refund from USA Field Hockey due to the event postponement. A new date will be set in the future depending on how the situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19) evolves.

Updated: March 17, 2020

  • Coronavirus Update and USA Field Hockey Events, Programs and Travel
  • After careful consideration and review, Junior Premier Hockey has decided to cancel the 2020 Junior Premier Outdoor League in its entirety – all sites, regions and dates. A full refund of any deposits/payments made will be processed over the next few days.
  • USA Field Hockey and the Virginia Beach Regional Training Center staff with guidance from local and state health authorities in the state of Virginia has decided to postpone the Region 8 U-19 Regional Club Championship originally scheduled for March 28 to 29, 2020 in Virginia Beach, Va. Both organizations will continue to monitor COVID-19, discuss and determine what is best for the ongoing situation.
  • USA Field Hockey, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, Connecticut colleges and universities, and Gulf Coast Field Hockey put the health and safety of its players, coaches, staff and families first. Due to the evolving concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Discover Field Hockey Clinic on May 2in Hamden, Conn. has been canceled. The Discover Field Hockey Clinic on April 3in Estero, Fla. has been canceled. USA Field Hockey and Gulf Coast Field Hockey will continue to work closely and look forward to running a Discover Field Hockey Clinic later this fall. Participants will receive a refund from USA Field Hockey due to the event cancellations.

Updated: March 13, 2020

  • As part of the national effort to contain the further spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), based on the information that is available from the experts in the medical community and the government agencies, as well as members in the sports community, USA Field Hockey has decided to suspend Futures programing until further notice.
  • FIH Hockey Pro League Put On Hold Until April 15
  • The Boys Blast Series that was set to take place at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C. from April 3 to 5 has been postponed until further notice. A new date will be set in the future depending on how the situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19) evolves.
  • Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation that is impacting the global community, the 49th annual California Cup has been postponed to a future date later this year.

Updated: March 11, 2020

EVENT UPDATES

Updated: January 20, 2021

As part of the national effort to contain the further spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), based on the information that is available from the experts in the medical community and government agencies, as well as members in the sports community, the following USA Field Hockey list of regional, national and/or sanctioned events, programs or travel have bee postponed, suspended or canceled.

If you have any questions regarding the status of an event, please email information@usafieldhockey.com.

Update: November 18, 2020

As the nation and world face a resurgence of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and hospitalizations, USA Field Hockey has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 National Hockey Festival, presented by CranBarry, in both North Carolina and Virginia. The 40th annual Festival was set to take place in two locations, the BB&T Sports Park in Bermuda Run, N.C. and Virginia Beach Sportsplex/Hampton Roads Soccer Complex in Virginia Beach, Va.

As part of the national effort to contain the further spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), based on the information that is available from the experts in the medical community and the government agencies, Betty Shellenberger's service to celebrate her life has been postponed until further notice.

Updated: March 13, 2020

 

With great regret due to the COVID-19 pandemic and current global restrictions, the California Cup organizing committee decided to postpone the 49th annual California Cup international field hockey tournament to a later date this year.

 

As the panic and fears settle down, and the world starts to get healthy, back to business again, the California Cup organizing committee will gather to decide upon a new date to hold the 2020 California Cup. For everyone who has paid a deposit or full registration fees, the California Cup organizing committee will be issuing refunds in short time.

California Cup is a USA Field Hockey Sanctioned Event.

Updated: July 9, 2020

 

On July 9, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) will resume on September 22. The U.S. Women's National Team will host six home games in April 2021.

 

Saturday, April 3, 2021 – USA vs. Australia

Sunday, April 4, 2021 – USA vs. Australia

Saturday, April 10, 2021 – USA vs. Germany

Sunday, April 11, 2021 – USA vs. Germany

Saturday, April 17, 2021 – USA vs. China

Sunday, April 28, 2021 – USA vs. China

*game days and times subject to change

 

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On April 24, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced that due to ongoing uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 global health pandemic, and in agreement with the 11 participating National Associations (NAs), the second edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League is being extended through to June 2021.

 

Based on the latest developments of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and in particular of the response to it by the relevant public authorities globally, the International Hockey Federation (FIH), with the support of all participating National Associations, has today decided to extend the postponement period of the FIH Hockey Pro League to May 17.

 

USA Field Hockey, FIH, UNC-Chapel Hill,  Hockey China, Australia and Belgium will closely monitor the situation as it continues to have an impact nationally and worldwide and will have appropriate discussions to determine a future rescheduling date.

 

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On March 13, following the latest information and recommendations from the WHO and the decisions taken by a number of governments and local authorities around the world regarding the current COVID-19 outbreak, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and all participating National Associations (NAs) decided to put all FIH Hockey Pro League matches currently scheduled until April 15 on hold.

 

FIH Hockey Pro League USA games on hold:

  • April 10 & 11 - USA vs. China
  • May 2 & 3 - USA vs. Australia
  • May 15 & 17 - USA vs. Belgium
  • June 5 & 7 - USA vs. Australia

Updated: June 8, 2020

Futures 2020 Important Announcement

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Considering these uncertainties, USA Field Hockey has been working diligently behind the scenes on plans to deliver 2020 Futures in an alternate format and timeframe. An online Futures curriculum is being developed by our top U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Team and Junior High Performance coaches in conjunction with our Coach Education and Learning team. As many educational institutions are pivoting to online learning in these unprecedented times, we feel confident that we are in a unique position with the subject matter and experts on staff to deliver valuable programming which will develop the whole athlete.

 

The new online program will be a blended interactive experience, with aspects covering tactical development through video analysis, opportunities to learn from the best with guided technical skills sessions featuring national team players and coaches as well as physical and psychological elements. Each week will feature a different theme, including Coping with Pressure, Goalsetting and The Use of Imagery to Aid Performance. Through the 7-week program players will use the skills learned each week to build their own personal development plan tailored to their individual needs.  

On March 13, USA Field Hockey’s Olympic Development Program, Futures, announced that all sessions would be suspended until future notice.

Updated: September 24, 2020

On March 11, the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) has been closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation that is impacting the global community, and more directly, the Pan American region in recent days.

Following consultation with the USA Field Hockey and local health authorities, on March 11 PAHF decided to postpone the 2020 Indoor Pan American Cups/Indoor World Cup Qualifier originally scheduled for March 25-29, 2020 at Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, Pa. to a date to be announced in the near future.

PAHF apologizes for the disruption this may result in previously arranged travel plans and other arrangements in preparation for this event.

However, out of concern for the well-being and safety of the athletes, support staff, event officials and the public at large, the decision to postpone the event has become necessary.

On April 10, further to our public release on March 11, 2020 advising of the postponement of the Indoor Pan American Cups, and the announcement of the dates and venue for the Indoor World Cup (February 3-7, 2021 in Liege, Belgium) the PAHF wishes to that our qualifying event will be rescheduled to a date in October 2020. 

On September 24, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and Belgian Hockey Association jointly decided to postpone the upcoming FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup - initially scheduled to be played in February 2021 - to February 2 to 6, 2022, in order to maximize the athletes’ and fans’ experience. With that, the PAHF decided to postponed the Indoor Pan American Cups to 2021.

Updated: January 20, 2021

The Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) shared with all national associations that the 2021 Junior Pan American Championships, rescheduled to take place in April, will now take place August 16 to 29 in Santiago, Chile.

Updated: May 30, 2020

The Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) announced that the Junior Pan American Championships (women & men) World Cup Qualifier, has been rescheduled for April 12 to 25, 2021, in Santiago, Chile.

The event will be held under International Hockey Federation (FIH) current security regulations for COVID-19, to be able to take care of the health of the athletes, officials and other people involved in the event.

Athletes' eligibility is maintained based on the date they were agreed to play in 2020.

The Junior Pan American Championships were originally scheduled for November 30 to December 13, 2020.

Updated: November 18, 2020

After careful consideration and review, Junior Premier Hockey has decided to cancel the 2020 Junior Premier Indoor League - Invitational and U-14 - out of concern for the health and safety of all participants, officials, staff and supporters.

Updated: December 3, 2020

 

Originally scheduled to take place December 19, 2020 to January 24, 2021 at sites across the country, the National Indoor Tournament Qualifiers (NITQ), presented by YOLO Sportswear, will not take place as planned but regional playing opportunities will be available at some host sites. Click here to read more.

Updated: March 30, 2020

On March 24, it was announced that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games set to begin on July 24 will be pushed back to 2021 as the world continues efforts to slow the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), marking the first-time in more than a century of the modern Olympic Games that event has been delayed.

On March 30, the IOC and Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee announced that the Olympic Games will take place from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

Updated: March 23, 2020

Based on recent coronavirus developments, the U.S. Women's Masters Indoor Squad Tryout originally scheduled for April 5 has been postponed. It will be rescheduled for either October or November.

Updated: November 30, 2020

 

The WMH Executive Board has been monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2020.

 

A risk management framework, created to facilitate assessment of the potential impact of the developing situation on the postponed 2020 World Cups, was continually updated to inform the EB’s

decision making. To enable Hosts and participants to plan ahead, the EB set a deadline of November 2020 for a final decision on the viability of the 4 World Cups. Decisions could only be made on

assumptions rather than certainties and the range of scenarios considered were:

  • COVID-19 being an ongoing risk throughout 2021.
  • A vaccine penetration rate of 75% (WHO assessment) not being achieved before the end of 2021 and most vaccines not being ready for worldwide distribution before the summer of 2021.
  • The impact of reductions in the number of participating teams and an appreciable lack of the shared social activities which contribute to the character and ambience associated with Masters Hockey Events.
  • The difficulties of managing Health & Safety procedures such as virus screening, testing and quarantining and the financial liabilities for these having to be met by participants.
  • Travel insurance being very expensive in the circumstances, the high cost of hospital treatment in Japan and South Africa and the possibility that treatment would be very basic or unavailable for the uninsured.
  • The difficulty of predicting the actions of local authorities if there was a viral outbreak at an Event and the uncertainties of being able to maintain overall risks for all concerned at an acceptable level.
  • Participants not being able to self / team isolate and the higher infection risks of commercial travel.

As a result of lengthy considerations of the above assessments, regretfully, World Masters Hockey has unanimously decided to cancel the Nottingham, Cape Town & Tokyo World Cups due to be held in 2021.

The EB views its duty of care for the well-being of its members as paramount. Whilst this decision will be extremely disappointing, the EB wishes to assure the membership that it intends to run World Cups in 2022 and will offer these Events to the Hosts of the canceled World Cups.

 

The EB recognizes that the underlying desire of our members is to “just play Hockey” and so the EB is keen to promote lower risk re-engagement through local and / or regional competitions.

 

To those who have experienced the tragic loss of a loved one during this pandemic, the EB wishes to express sincere condolences and best wishes. The worst should soon be over, and we hope we will meet again on the field of play in the not too distant future!

 

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The 2020 World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cup set for August 8-17 in Nottingham, England has been postponed to August 13-22, 2021.

The 2020 World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cup set for September 19-28 in Cape Town, South Africa has been postponed to September 18-27, 2021.

The 2020 World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cup set for November 5-15 in Tokyo, Japan has been postponed to November 2021.

 

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The 2020 World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cups set for August 8-17 in Nottingham, England; September 19-28 in Cape Town, South Africa and November 5-15 in Tokyo, Japan have all been postponed. The WMH organization are in the process of being rescheduled for 2021.

Health & Safety Precautions

USA Field Hockey strongly urges everyone to follow the protocols below:

  • If you are sick, DO NOT participate in any training or games. STAY HOME!
  • Players, coaches, umpires and spectators should not shake hands before or after matches. A verbal ‘Good Game' is sufficient and encouraged.
  • DO NOT allow players to share water bottles.

To reinforce general health safety and best practices for illness prevention:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes.
  • Follow the CDC's recommendations for using a face mask.
    -  The CDC does not recommend that people who are feeling well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including coronavirus.
    -  Face masks should be used by people who show symptoms to help prevent the spread of the disease.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
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