It did not take long for those who were involved to realize this was to be a formidable task without an organization.
In 1972, a team from Kiel, Germany was entered in a tournament in Washington, D.C. They asked the local hockey players if we could give them a game or two. At that time there were only three men’s teams in this area. A team from Vancouver and one from Victoria Canada agreed to participate in the first California Cup. The Kiel Ravens won, followed by the two Canadian teams.
In the beginning the teams were composed of native born Americans. A search of the Los Angeles phone book revealed a list of less than ten families named Singh. In the early seventies, they were not interested in playing hockey in Ventura County.
In the mid-seventies, the Canadians expressed an interest in bringing a women’s team and asked if the California Cup organizers could find some competition. Contact was made with the Los Angeles Field Hockey Association and they provided three teams.
Junior hockey really began with the efforts of the late Alex Stamatovic. He had already been instrumental in making soccer popular in Camarillo. In 1982, he worked with Tom Harris to organize and incorporate the Field Hockey Federation. With 150 sticks provided by Allen Woods and a lot of work, the league began with four high school and eight junior high boys’ teams. A year later, a girls’ league was included. As soon as these teams began playing, more divisions were included in Cal Cup to allow them to play.
In 1993, a dream was realized when the Moorpark Field was installed. Thanks to a donation and a loan from the Men’s Hockey Foundation, the artificial surface became a reality. A key element of this project was the volunteer efforts of the many players and parents under the leadership of Walt Robbins. The pavers were Mike Newton’s project.
Over the years, most of the members of the Men’s National Teams have been products of the Field Hockey Federation Programs.
Please click HERE if you want to request more information about field hockey clubs in Los Angeles.
The Field Hockey Federation is the organization that organizes and operates field hockey in Southern California. The organization is dedicated to enabling adults and juniors to enjoy a vigorous sport in a clean, safe, friendly environment. Games are played at the artificial turf at Moorpark College.