Frequently Asked Questions

Questions

The following are among the most asked questions from athletes and parents new to the Burnaby Lake Field Hockey Club. If you have any questions that are not listed here, please e-mail the club and your question may be added to the list to assist others.

What age can my child begin playing at?

The minimum age limit for junior girls in the women's league is 13.  

The junior program is split into:  mini (U10) and U11 through to U18

What type of equipment will I need to buy?

Your registration fee includes the use of a complete uniform (jersey and shorts or skirt) so you need only purchase the following:

Beyond the items noted above, there are no other required pieces of equipment. However, given the cool temperatures in which we play, a warm track-suit is recommended. Additional shorts or socks for practice are always useful, and left to player discretion. Other items such as equipment bags & water bottles are also commonly seen items on the pitch.

How long is the season?

Our fall season (men and women) runs from September to the following March.

Our junior season runs from the end of March until the end of June.  In the Vancouver Women's league, girls must be a minimum age of 13 to play.

When are games played?

Women's home games are always played on Saturdays between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm.  Men's home games are:??

Away games are played throughout the lower mainland: Coquitlam, Richmond, Vancouver, Surrey, UBC, North Vancouver.

Games are generally NOT played on statutory Holidays or weekends that include them.

Where will the games be held?

  Home games are always held within the confines of Burnaby ( map to home practice field). Away games can be held anywhere within the Lower Mainland (Coquitlam, Richmond, Vancouver, Surrey, UBC, and North Vancouver).

How often will practices be held?

Practice are held a minimum of once per week.   The schedule of practice times can be found on this site.

Can I play in Burnaby if I live elsewhere?

BLFHC welcomes players from other municipalities.  We are an all inclusive club and like to provide opportunities for all athletes.

What opportunities are there for athlete development?

BLFHC actively assists with the Fieldhockey BC regional high performance programs.  We will post trial dates and times for U14, U16, and U18 on our High performance page.  

As well we do have a number of teams in the  Vancouver leagues. These teams have an open trial policy and trials are normally at the end of August to the beginning of September.  Trial dates and times will be posted on our schedule of events page.

What kind of stick should I purchase?

Adults will have their own preferences for length and weighting of a stick.  If you are purchasing for a junior player it is best to consider their age and current rate of growth.  Wooden sticks are easier for younger players to learn to trap the ball with and are easier for mom and dad to cut down to size if necessary.  Graphite sticks look cool, but should be purchased only when the athlete is fully competent at trapping the ball, since it does tend to bounce off graphite sticks quite a distance.  The Fieldhockey BC website offers links to vendors in the lower mainland for purchasing.