Ever since a national gathering of field hockey players and teams was conceived in 1922 as a way to bring college-aged field hockey players together in one place, nationnal tournaments — the National Festival, Shooting Stars, and the like — have, for the most part, fallen on Thanksgiving weekend.
Forasmuch as players who have participated in these tournaments over the last 100 years always have looked forward to the next games after them, today’s reality is a lot different.
You see, back then, the National Tournament didn’t involve ready-made club teams. Instead, these were teams selected to regional teams, named for their region — Philadelphia, Mid-Atlantic, Long Island, and the like. The National Tournament not only served as the selection for the national team, it also served as a ready-made audience for national-team games against visiting national sides.
All of this changed in the mid-70s, when the AIAW and USA Field Hockey partnered to hold its national championship at the National Tournament. By 1981, the tournament added what was called a “high school jamboree,” that allowed school-aged players to compete. That was at a time when the scholastic field hockey schedule experienced a strange bifurcation: the San Diego Section of the California Interscholastic Federation played a winter schedule until 1983, meaning that, for that area of the country, the Festival started the season instead of ending it.
But for the last four decades, the club showcase season has come after every varsity team has stepped off the pitch. This includes the realization that, for all but the very best in this sport, it means walking away from a sport to which you have sometimes dedicated a decade and a half.
A Tik-Tok video, from our friends at The Soccer Girl Podcast, hit me hard the other day. If you haven’t seen it, please have a look at it.
One of my greatest regrets since starting this site in 1998 is that we haven’t moved the needle towards starting a national professional league for adult field hockey players.
I do, however, pause to give thanks that we’ve tried.
And we’ll keep advocating.