Membership

2023-2024 Membership Guide & Assessment Test

All teams are required to review the NFHL Membership Guide, watch the training videos and complete the assessment test by August 15th, 2023. All returning teams will receive the Membership Guide and link to the assessment test by email. New teams should request this information by emailing info@nationalfieldhockeyleague.com.

The training video links can be found in the Membership Guide.
It will take ~1-1.5 hours to review the Membership Guide, watch the training videos and complete the assessment test.
Teams must have a passing score (80% or higher) on the assessment test in order to be an active team for the fall.

Membership Requirements

To be eligible to apply as a member in the National Field Hockey League, the following requirements must be met:

A club-level field hockey team from an accredited 2-year or 4-year college or university in the United States.
Players on the team must meet all eligibility requirements as determined by their college or university.
The team must have an assigned school representative (Club Sports Director, etc.) who will represent the team for any concerns relating to membership responsibilities, player eligibility, dues, and tournament commitments.

Members have the right to play against other NFHL members, compete in the Fall Championship, compete in the Spring Tournament and other regional tournaments, submit team responses to league surveys, and to enjoy other privileges of membership as outlined in the NFHL bylaws.

To apply for membership, click the “Join” tab above. Applications will be reviewed and you will be contacted to discuss the details of your membership. If approved, you will be be sent instructions to activate your account.

Membership Responsibilities

Members must review the Annual Membership Guide and complete and pass the annual Assessment Test.
Members must sign a member school agreement, liability release, and other forms as required for each year, prior to the start of the season.
Members must comply with all deadlines set by the NFHL.
Members must read and comply with all NFHL emails.
Members must complete all surveys and respond to all league votes.
Members must update team contact information in a timely manner.
Members must abide by all NFHL rules as outlined below.
All players must complete a player registration prior to playing in their first game each year.

Failure to comply with the rules of the league will result in the following:

First offense: a written warning.
Second offense: probation until notified by league officers.
Team will be reinstated only by majority votes by league officers.

Membership Benefits

As a member of the NFHL, your team will have access to several resources to support competitive play against over 100 other club-level collegiate teams in the USA. Membership is annual (July through June each year). Here are just some of the exciting resources and opportunities your team will have access to through an NFHL membership:

National Network of USA Collegiate Club Field Hockey Teams

As an active member, you will have access to over 100 collegiate club field hockey teams from across the US!
A member’s record will only include games played against other NFHL teams, so it’s important to be listed as an active member if you would like to compete against any of these teams.
Host teams will post their game availability on a shared calendar, where traveling teams can search and find games that are on dates and in locations that work for them. Teams schedule and confirm games on their own, and report all scores to the NFHL who manages the standings.
The top 16 teams for the fall season are invited to compete in the National Fall Championship in Virginia Beach, VA.

League/Team Management Platform

Each team will have access to a premier league/team management platform.
Through this platform, you can contact all other active NFHL teams, schedule games, invite and track players on your roster, pay invoices, register for tournaments, track player health screenings, and communicate/message your team.

Grants

Members have exclusive discounts with our preferred equipment supplier, Harrow Sports. There are three uniform grants awarded – 1 team will receive a 100% discount off uniforms and 2 teams will receive an additional 50% discount off uniforms (after the regular 45% NFHL discount mentioned below) – for a total of 72.5% off.
In addition to these grants, official NFHL teams receive 20% off EQUIPMENT (including individual orders and 45% off team APPAREL orders.
Membership Grants – the NFHL will award 4 full membership grants. These are needs-based grants. Teams awarded this grant are given a 100% membership discount for the year, and it is prioritized for schools with limited funding and/or with limited schools in a reasonable distance to play.

Team Fundraising Pages

Members can request a team crowdfunding page to help fundraise throughout the year.
The transaction fees are less than a Go Fund Me or similar pages. The pages also allow for local corporate sponsors if the team has any they would like to ask.

TeachAids Concussion Education

To help bring the latest education around head injuries to our sports community, the National Field Hockey League has joined TeachAids, a nonprofit leader in global education innovation. Spun out of research from Stanford University, TeachAids developed the CrashCourse concussion education product suite in collaboration with world-class medical, sports and education experts. We are distributing TeachAids’ award-winning, free, video-based interactive learning experiences.
Members, players, families and staff all have access to this online resource.

Umpire Database

Each year, we grow our database of umpires for teams to contact during the fall and spring season.

Membership Dues

The NFHL must receive team payment/dues OR a “Promise to Pay” email (P2P) by September 15th of each year. Please visit our Payments and Dues page for details on how to make payments, late fees, submitting a P2P and more.

“A” vs. “B” Teams

All teams (new and returning) are categorized as either an “A” team or a “B” team. All new teams to the league will be categorized as a “B” team. The A/B split is only used for ranking purposes. Wins or ties against an “A” team receive 1 bonus game point. For more details and examples, visit the Ranking System Information page.