FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Parents can play many roles in sports: current or former athlete, coach, fan, motivator, role model or critic. A few studies have shown that family members may influence an athlete’s involvement and achievement in sport more than coaches. Parents also are the first and most critical agents at socializing sports.
STICKS
Indoor Sticks
You can find indoor sticks at Amazon, Longstreth, or you can purchase directly from stick vendors (Stx, TK, Gryphon, etc.). Average purchase price for an indoor stick is $40-$80.
Venom Indoor Sticks are here! Visit the Venom Hockey Store
Outdoor Sticks
Outdoor sticks are trickier to fit. A lot is based on position and how an individual plays. Please see a PGH Venom coach for help when purchasing an outdoor stick. These sticks can be quite expensive for a good quality stick.
Can be purchased at Longstreth or directly from a stick vendor (Gryphon, STX, TK, etc).
Venom Outdoor Sticks are here! Please visit the Venom Hockey Store
* Do not get a wooden stick.
GLOVES
Left hand gloves are required by PGH Venom. Right hand gloves are highly recommended. These gloves are heavily padded to protect the hands when on the ground from severe injury from a ball or an opponent stick. Fingerless or w/ fingers are player preference, but coaches recommend w/ fingers. Gloves can be purchased at Amazon, Longstreth or directly from the manufacturer. They are usually sold as individual right or left hand. TK or STK are good brands. They run between $27-$35.
Please check sizing charts before ordering! Some tend to run big.
Venom Gloves are now available in Full Sets. Please visit the Venom Hockey Store.
OTHER
Shin guards must be specific for Field Hockey. Players cannot use soccer shin guards because they do not provide ankle protection or enough shin protection. Amazon or Longstreth are good places to look.
Venom shin guards are now available. Please visit the Venom Hockey Store.
Shoes - for indoor court, look for court shoes, squash shoes or a "new" sports sneaker with good tread. For outdoor, a turf shoe or cleat (if playing on real grass).
Mouthguards are required. Please have an extra on hand.
Practice Pinney is required. Must be reversible; light and dark. PGH Venom pinney is recommended, but any plain pinney would work. No School Team pinney's are permitted.
UNIFORMS
Pinney
Reversible pinney's are required for all practices. PGH Venom has our own pinney for sale. Players may use another 'plain' reversible pinney. Pinney's with school names are not permitted at Venom practices.
Uniform
All traveling players are required to purchase a PGH Venom uniform. Goalie's are required to purchase a GK Jersey. Field Players are required to purchase away/home Jersey's & Skort.
Please visit our Apparel site:
Spirit Wear
PGH Venom has partnered with a local vendor to provide team apparel to show your Venom Spirit! Online Store is available at the start of each season.
Harrow Elite Field Hockey Bags
Players can opt to purchase a Navy/Silver Harrow Elite Field Hockey Bag embroidered with the Venom Logo and Player Name/#. Visit our Venom Hockey Store purchase.
What is NIT and NITQ?
NIT stands for National Indoor Tournament and NITQ stands for National Indoor Tournament Qualifier. ALL U16 & U19 teams must attend a qualifier tournament (NITQ) to determine if they can play at the National tournament (NIT). Venom sends its Blue and White teams. NITQ are all-day tournaments where teams play 4-6 games and the top teams (approx 4-5) from each NITQ then move forward to the NIT. U14 teams do not have a qualifier, but they do get to attend an NIT. Generally, U14 & U16 have NIT's at Spooky Nook. U19 has NIT's at the Convention Center in Richmond, VA. The NIT are 3 day tournaments.
NIT's are Stay to Play tournaments. Teams are assigned hotels by USA FH. Please do not make hotel arrangements on your own. PGH Venom will send out the link to make reservations at our assigned hotel.
Players for these National bound teams are hand selected by coaches or are formed from a try-out process at the start of the season.
Spooky Nook Tournaments
Address: 75 Champ Blvd, Manheim, PA 17545
Spooky Nook is located in, Manheim, PA (near Lancaster). These are 1 day tournaments where teams from each of the 3 divisions (U14, U16, U19) play 4-5 games.
- Schedules generally come out the Wednesday before the tournament and will be sent out to the club.
- Games start at 8am and can go until 9pm.
- Generally, play time for each division occurs within a 4 hour window . Example: U14 8am - 12pm, U16 12pm - 4pm, U19 4pm - 8pm. Spooky Nook determines the schedule and the order of play. The order can change from tournament to tournament.
- It is HIGHLY recommended that you book a hotel room for BOTH Friday evening and Saturday evening, EARLY, and then cancel appropriately once the schedule is released.
- Players are expected to be at practice if there is no tournament scheduled for that particular day.
About Spooky Nook
Nook is a huge facility with multiple sports going on at any given time. Players must be ready to go at least 45 minutes before their first game.
Outside food is usually not permitted. Food and drinks are available for purchase. Water bottle filling stations are available for players.
PGH Venom will set up camp in an area near the playing courts. Team Coaches/Captains will communicate to players where this will be.
Nook has a $5 parking fee that you can purchase at the desks as you enter. This can be purchased anytime throughout the day and must be presented as you are driving out of the parking lot.
Parents, bring chairs and players should bring blankets to use .
Bring BOTH White and Blue Jersey's and socks.
There are no available outlets or charging stations. Please charge devices before entering the Nook and you may want to consider an external battery charger.
Visit "Spooky Nook Interior Map", to the left, to determine where to go once you enter. Parking can be on either side of complex, near the bubble (back entrance) or near the hotel entrance (main entrance).
HOTEL INFO
PGH Venom does not secure hotel rooms for the Nook tournament days, because of the random scheduling. Here are a few options that are close by:
- Warehouse (at Spooky Nook)
- Comfort Suites, Manheim
- Hampton Inn, Manheim
- Holiday Inn, Manheim New
- Fairfield Inn, Lancaster
For additional options, see link below.
Things To Bring:
Hockey Stick,
Venom Uniform (Blue & White),
Socks (Blue & White),
Gloves,
Mouthguard,
Shin Guards,
Non-Slip Shoes,
Water Bottle,
Food or Snacks,
Chair or Blanket,
Winning Attitude!
USA Field Hockey Membership
Along with your PGH Venom registration, players receive insurance through USA Field Hockey for practices and regular tournaments. If your player is attending a USA FH sponsored event (NITQ, NIT, Festival, Futures/Nexus, etc.) you will also need to purchase an individual membership through USA FH and provide Club Director, Benjamin Peters, your annual membership number. Please visit the following link to register:
What is a Field Hockey Showcase Event?
A showcase is an opportunity for players to "showcase" themselves in front of NCAA college coaches. Venom puts together a team of girls who are interested in playing in college. These are outdoor games over a select weekend. The coaches will assist the girls with resume's and coach contacts prior to the showcase. Showcases are generally held in such places as Virginia, Florida, Delaware, New Hampshire, etc.
Contact Coach Ben for additional information:
