2026 brings the 6th Annual Fall Challenge Cup, open to all active teams. The Challenge Cup will be held on the same weekend as the Fall Championship at the same location.

By completing an RSVP, you are committing to attend the tournament and pay the entry fee. You are also subject to any late fees and cancellation fees. The tournament is first come, first served until the maximum number of teams has been reached.

If you commit to this tournament, but end up qualifying for the NFHL Fall Championship, your team’s spot in the Challenge Cup will be given to an alternate and you will be moved to the Fall Championship tournament. If you already paid the tournament entry fee, the difference will be reimbursed to you as a credit or to the original payment method, whichever is preferred.

CHALLENGE CUP TEAMS

TBD

TEAM ELIGIBILITY

• Must be an active NFHL member in good standing.
• Must have reviewed the current Membership Guide and completed and passed the Annual Assessment.
• Must have paid annual membership dues and not have an outstanding balance.
• There are no minimum game requirements.
• Non-local teams (traveling >90 miles) are required to use the NFHL booking links and stay at an NFHL partner hotel.

TOURNAMENT REQUIREMENTS

• Teams must be able to send a full team to the the tournament OR merge with another NFHL team (for 11 players minimum).
• All players must be eligible participants per each school’s specific club sports eligibility requirements. Rosters must be verified (signed and approved) by the school’s club sports rep.
• All non-local teams (traveling >50 miles) are required to stay at a NFHL partner hotel using the links on the event website.
• Teams must be available to play from 9am-7pm on Friday, 7am-7pm on Saturday AND from 7am-2pm on Sunday.
• Entry fee (2026): $1,020 per team
• ALL teams must abide by all deadlines.

DEADLINES

• RSVP: September 15th, 2026
• Entry Fee OR P2P email: October 15th (if P2P is received, payment deadline extended to November 15th)
• Hotel Reservations: October 15th
• Preliminary Rosters: October 15th
• Apparel Orders: November 8th
• Verified Rosters: November 13th

Rosters and Player Eligibility

• All players must be eligible participants per each school’s specific club sports eligibility requirements. Rosters must be verified (signed and approved) by the school’s club sports rep.
• If you are found to have any ineligible players on your team, you can face up to suspension from the league.
• All players must be added to the team’s LeagueApps roster by the assigned deadline.
• All players must complete their waivers (via LeagueApps) by the assigned deadline.
• All players must complete their daily health screening form for each day they play games at the tournament.

Schedule

• The schedule will be released by November 10th (subject to change).
• Teams must be available to play between 9am-7pm on Friday, 7am-7pm on Saturday AND from 7am-2pm on Sunday.
• Sometimes games need to be switched and rearranged – we need you to be flexible, patient, and open-minded.
• Teams must bring light and dark colored shirts/jerseys.

Pre-Order Tournament Shirts

• A VERY limited number of shirts will be available for sale at the tournament. We highly recommend all players/fans pre-order their apparel online. Shirts will be available for contactless pickup at the Registration Table at the tournament.
• We cannot ship shirts.
• Shirts must be ordered by the assigned deadline.

Late Fees

• Dues OR P2P not received by assigned dues/P2P deadline (October 15th): a late fee of $50 will be charged to a team’s account.
• Dues OR P2P not received by one week after assigned deadline (October 22nd): an additional late fee of $50 will be charged to a team’s account ($100 total in late fees).
• Dues OR P2P not received by two weeks after assigned deadline (October 29th): if the NFHL has not received a team’s dues or a P2P by this deadline, the team will not be allowed to participate in the Fall Tournament. The team is still required to pay dues, any accrued late fees PLUS a $500 fine ($600 total in late fees and fines) by November 1st. The team will be removed from the tournament, placed on probation and their account deactivated. The team will only be reinstated with a majority vote from the NFHL Board and once the tournament dues, fine and all late fees have been paid.

Cancellations/Withdrawals

All teams must cancel in writing (send email to info@nationalfieldhockeyleague.com). Teams that have submitted a written RSVP and cancel:

• On or before October 1st: still required to pay dues by October 15th. Late fees will still accrue if a payment/P2P is not received by the deadlines. Failure to pay dues, any accrued late fees, and fines will result in probation from the league. A team put on probation and their account deactivated. The team will only be reinstated with a majority vote from the NFHL Board and once the tournament dues and fine have been paid.
• October 2nd – October 15th: still required to pay dues PLUS a $250 fine by October 15th. Late fees will still accrue if a payment/P2P is not received by the deadlines. Failure to pay dues, any accrued late fees, and fines will result in probation from the league. A team put on probation and their account deactivated. The team will only be reinstated with a majority vote from the NFHL Board and once the tournament dues and fine have been paid.
• October 16th – November 1st: still required to pay dues, any accrued late fees, PLUS a $375 fine by November 1st. Late fees will still accrue if a payment/P2P is not received by the deadlines. Failure to pay dues, any accrued late fees, and fines will result in probation from the league. A team put on probation and their account deactivated. The team will only be reinstated with a majority vote from the NFHL Board and once the tournament dues and fine have been paid.
• November 2nd – November 10th: still required to pay dues, any accrued late fees, PLUS a $500 fine by November 10th. Late fees will still accrue if a payment/P2P is not received by the deadlines. Failure to pay dues, any accrued late fees, and fines will result in probation from the league. A team put on probation and their account deactivated. The team will only be reinstated with a majority vote from the NFHL Board and once the tournament dues and fine have been paid.
• November 11th – day before tournament: still required to pay dues, any accrued late fees, PLUS a $700 fine by December 1st. Late fees will still accrue if a payment/P2P is not received by the deadlines. Failure to pay dues, any accrued late fees, and fines will result in probation from the league. A team put on probation and their account deactivated. The team will only be reinstated with a majority vote from the NFHL Board and once the tournament dues and the late fees have been paid.

“No Shows”

Teams that have committed to coming to the Fall Tournament (by submitting an RSVP) and cancel on the day of the tournament or do not show up for 1 or more games at the tournament (including playoff games):

• Still required to pay dues, any accrued late fees, PLUS a fine of $900 by December 1st.
• Failure to pay dues, any accrued late fees, and fines will result in probation from the league. A team put on probation and their account deactivated. The team will only be reinstated with a majority vote from the NFHL Board and once the tournament dues, fine and any late fees have been paid.