It is with great sadness that the field hockey community mourns the loss of a pioneer of our sport, Pat Hall. Pat passed away peacefully with her family on Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. VILFHA will share more details about a Celebration of Life when available. This weekend teams are encouraged to share in a moment of silence to reflect on Pat Hall and how much she built for the future of field hockey.

While Pat has won many accolades over the past seven decades, in recent years she has been a recurring name crossing the stage. In 2020, Pat was inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame for her decades of contributions to both field hockey and softball. Pat was then honoured at the Greater Victoria Sports Awards return to the local stage in 2022, as the organizing committee presented an award in her name, the Pat Hall Volunteer Award. Just this past Fall of 2023, Field Hockey Canada then announced Pat as a member of their 2023 FHC Hall of Fame as a builder.

Pat’s list of contributions is endless. In addition to her many years as player, coach and umpire, Pat served on the executive of the VILFHA for over 40 years. She has been Victoria or BC representative with Field Hockey BC, Field Hockey Canada, the Vancouver Island Umpires Association and the Victoria Junior Field Hockey Association.

She was honoured four times with VILFHA’s most prestigious award, the Christine Trophy, for combining sportsmanship, service and playing ability. She was also honoured by Field Hockey BC with their Barbara Schrodt Award for those who have made a difference, the Gold Pin Volunteer Award and Sport BC President’s Award. In 1983, Pat was named Victoria Sports Person of the Year. In 1993, she was awarded with VILFHA Life Membership and, in 2013, the VILFHA introduced the Pat Hall Officials Development Award.

If you would like to contribute to the Pat Hall Officials Development Award visit:
https://give.vancouverfoundation.ca/s/give?ID=a0e41000005DMugAAG

VILFHA is grateful for Pat’s contributions to the sport and the stage she set for field hockey players for years to come. Our thoughts go out to Pat’s family – Denise, Donna and Marty and Pat’s beautiful grand children, all of who she loved and helped raise with unconditional love.

Pat’s Celebration of Life details:

Date: Monday, November 13, 2023
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Mary Winspear Center, 2243 Beacon Avenue (Sidney)
Plenty of parking available
Refreshments available after service

Expression of Interest for Women’s 2024 teams:

Masters INDOOR World Cup Mar 27-31 (Derby, United Kingdom)

Masters OUTDOOR World Cup, Oct 12- 21 (O35 & O40 Cape Town, South Africa) & Nov 7-16 (O45, O50, O55, O60, & O65 Auckland, New Zealand)

The Canadian Masters Women’s Committee is inviting all women aged 035 + to complete this Expression of Interest survey to participate in the World Masters Hockey Indoor World Cup to be held Mar 27-31 (O35, O40, O45, O50, O55, O60, & O65 in Derby, United Kingdom) and the Outdoor Hockey World Cups (WCs), to be held Oct 12- 21 (O35 & O40 in Cape Town, South Africa) & Nov 7-16 2024 (O45, O50, O55, O60, & O65 in Auckland, New Zealand).

Please complete this survey by Saturday, September 30th, 2023 at the latest. This will enable us to register the required number of teams, recruit coaches and team managers, book turf for regional/national training camps and all other associated logistics. None of this is possible without an accurate understanding of who is interested.

This is a wonderful opportunity to play competitive hockey in an international arena. We encourage all players who are keen to develop their skills to complete this survey.

https://www.rampregistrations.com/a/participant/register?v3=084b3268&dGd1aWQ1=MjEwOTJGRjgtRkEyRS00MzA2LTkxOUUtMDFGMjY1MEJFOEI50

Field Hockey Canada is proud to announce that the Women’s National Team coaching staff, consisting of the celebrated Olympic Gold medal-winning duo Danny Kerry and Kate Richardson-Walsh, will be leading a coach education seminar series. This exclusive opportunity will provide participants with direct access to valuable insights and expertise, as the renowned coaches share their golden nuggets of knowledge. Using a combination of video presentations and interaction with participants, this seminar series will primarily focus on Canada’s Women’s National Team (WNT) and delve into the essential trends and requirements for success in international hockey.

In addition to being a valuable learning experience, please note that there will be a nominal charge for attending the seminar series. All proceeds from this event will go directly towards supporting the WNT in their upcoming Olympic qualification push. By participating in this seminar series, you will not only gain valuable knowledge but also contribute to the success of our WNT.

REGISTER NOW: https://www.rampregistrations.com/a/clinic/default?v3=7aa122cc&dGd1aWQ1=REIyNThCMjItNDAyMy00OEQwLUIzMUEtQjUyNjEzNURFNThC0

The seminar series will consist of three sessions, each focusing on a different aspect of coaching and the game. The dates and topics for each session are as follows:

Thursday, August 10th [530pm PDT]: Coaching and the development of skill – Theory and Practice. This session will explore the concept of what skill is, what the research evidence suggests creates the best environment for developing skill in players, and what this looks like practically in session planning for coaches.

Tuesday, August 15th [530pm PDT]: Coaching and the development of team understanding – Theory and Practice. How do players know what their team-mates around them will do and when? How do we know our team are seeing the opportunities for attack and the threats in defence in the same way at the same time and co-ordinate solutions to them as a team? This session will explore some of the theory and practical application in coaching of team understanding.

Thursday, August 17th [530pm PDT]: An overview of the modern international game and implications for coaching. A discussion of trends in the modern international game, and what this means for both what we coach and how.

Participants have the flexibility to choose individual sessions for $50 each or register for all three sessions at a discounted price of $130. It is important to note that this event serves as a fundraiser for our WNT, and attendees are welcome to donate a greater sum if they are able to. Every contribution will make a significant impact and directly support the WNT in their pursuit of Olympic qualification.

REGISTRATION INSTERUCTIONS:
– Make an account on Ramp –

Step 1: Select Camps and Clinics
Step 2: Green Register button
Step 3: Select your member name
Step 4: Select your clinic option ( choice of individual courses or full course)
Step 5: Answer Bio details
Step 6: Payment

Full article: https://fieldhockey.ca/coaching-seminar-series-with-womens-national-team-coaching-staff/

The Summer Drop-in Schedule is out. Please note that these are co-ed games either 7-aside of 11-aside format and there is no technical session or practice happening at these events. All participants must be registered with Field Hockey BC to participate in game play. There are no exceptions.

Sailors Drop-In on Tuesdays
The Sailors field hockey club are excited to host another summer season of co-ed drop-in. This is co-ed adult level field hockey. All participants must be registered under Field Hockey BC and must be 14 years of age or older.

Day of the week: Tuesdays
June 27 to August 29 (7:00 – 8:30 pm)
UVic Field 1
Cost: $5 per session (cash upon arrival)
Questions: alilee05@gmail.com

Rebels Drop-In on Thursdays
The Rebels Club will be hosting its regular summer drop-in sessions on Thursday evenings on the turf at UVic. This is co-ed family drop-in hockey. All participants must be registered under Field Hockey BC. Participants under 14 years need a parent or guardian present.

Day of the week: Thursdays
Starting July 6 (7:30 – 9:00 pm)
UVic Field 1
Cost: $5 per session (cash upon arrival)
Questions: rebelsfieldhockey@gmail.com

Photo Credit: Chris Wilson (Island Wave Photography)

The Metro Vancouver Pro League (MVPL) is coming to Victoria on Saturday, May 13 and this is one of the rare occasions that Vancouver Island will entertain Canada’s best men’s players including several from the Canadian national team and Olympians. You may even see some of these players at Victoria Junior League sessions that weekend!

The four-team semifinal action will take place at the University of Victoria with games at 3:00 pm (2nd vs 3rd place) and 4:30 pm (1st vs 4th place). Along with the games, there are opportunities for youth to take place in the opening walkouts or as ball kids and opportunities for the community to learn from international officials including technical officials and umpires.

The MVPL was formed in 2022 and this is the second instalment of the high-performance field hockey league that focuses on diversity, inclusion, sportsmanship, integrity and respect for the game. Each of the four teams are named after key contributors to the sport of field hockey and the player draft balances the senior and junior talent for balanced but competitive competition. This is the highest-level men’s field hockey that can be played in Canada.

Interested in taking part? Here are the details:

COME WATCH – Saturday, May 13, 2023
• 3:00 pm – Game 1 (2nd vs 3rd Place)
• 4:30 pm – Game 2 (1st vs 4th Place)

Admission is free and seating is first come first serve. The pace of the game is high and so is the ball speed. Please ensure children are supervised and are paying attention if near the sidelines.

Youth participation – walk out buddies (U8 and U6) and ball kids (U14-U18)
• Please contact Ali Baggott: techdirector@victoriajuniorfieldhockey.ca
• Must be available 2:45-3:15pm for Game 1 and/or 4:15-4:45pm for Game 1.
• Walk out buddies are only needed for the beginning of each game
• Ball kids are needed 10 min before the game and throughout the game time(s)

Interested in learning about Technical Official roles or want to support on game day?
• Please contact Brenda Rushton: bjrushton19@gmail.com

Umpire Development Workshop
• Please register online (free): https://forms.gle/pQSFivPohxwbSMGB9
• Register by May 10, 2023.
• This session runs 2-6:30pm and will be facilitated by Alan Waterman (Olympic umpire, FIH Umpire Manager) and will include Q&As with current international umpires Lelia Sacre, Tyler Klenk, Meghan McLennan and Megan Robertson.

Check out the MVPL online:
Website: https://www.mvpl.ca/hype-league/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mvpl.fh/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@metrovancouverproleague293
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mvpl.fh

Feature photo: Harbir Sidhu (Canadian men’s national team player, former UVic Vikes player from Victoria, B.C.).
Photo Credit: Chris Bulowski