Welcome to Pittsburgh Venom's 24/25 Winter Indoor Field Hockey Season!
You will find all the information about our Winter Indoor programming below as well as the steps to get to the next level if you want to push yourself to play at Nationals and the NCAA.
Are you wondering what the big differences between Outdoor & Indoor Field Hockey?
First off we need to know which age group your athlete is in. According to their birthday please use the chart below to determine your age group:
- Under-8 Age Classification: Players born after July 31, 2016, are eligible.
- Under-10 Age Classification: Players born after July 31, 2014, are eligible.
- Under-12 Age Classification: Players born after July 31, 2012, are eligible.
- Under-14 Age Classification: Players born after July 31, 2010, are eligible.
- Under-16 Age Classification: Players born after July 31, 2008, are eligible.
- Under-19 Age Classification: Players born after July 31, 2006, are eligible.
It's important to note that athletes of a younger age classification may play in older age divisions, but an older age division player may not play in the younger age division. This ensures fairness and appropriate competition levels.
Secondly select your athletes time committment leveI for this years Venom Indoor Field Hockey season to learn more about each program.
NON-TRAVEL
Pittsburgh training only.
TRAVEL
Pittsburgh training & monthly travel tournament (Sat).
ELITE TRAVEL
Pre-Season Tryouts | Weekly training & scrimmages, monthly travel tournaments (Sun) & regional qualifier tournament for nationals at the end of the season.
WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INDOOR & OUTDOOR FIELD HOCKEY?
If you're brand new to field hockey and know absolutely nothing about the sport we reccommend watching this WikiHow video explaining the VERY BASIC concepts of Outdoor Field Hockey - VIDEO LINK
If we can simplify the idea of Indoor Field Hockey to Outdoor Field Hockey. Its the same difference as Futsol is to Soccer.
We play with the same basic rule of field hockey but with some key changes.
The major differences between games are:
- 6-A-SIDE On a smaller hockey court. A regular hockey match is played by two teams of 11. Indoor is 5 field players and a goalkeeper.
- NO TURF
We play on sport court inside. A regular hockey pitch is 55 meters by 91.4 meters. In Indoor it's only 22 meters by 44 meters.
- NO HITTING Even sweeps! Any action to push the ball where to stick starts more than roughly 12 inches away is considered a hitting action.
- NO LIFTING You cannot lift the ball off the court except for a safe shot at goal. Even if the ball bobbles up it can be a penalty.
- BOARDS We can bounce the ball off 18 inch boards that run the length of each sideline. Players may step out of the boards but if the ball travels outside, play resumes with the team who didn't play the ball out, at the spot where the ball left the playing area.
- 3 POINTS OF CONTACT You may not have more than 3 points of contact with the floor (Typically 2 feet & a stick).
- DRILLING You may not intentionally push the ball into a defenders stick if they're in a set position with their stick along the floor.
- PENALTY CORNERS In outdoor you may only have 5 players defending. In indoor there is no limit. However players defending do not line up in the middle of the goal. They have to stand on the outside of the goal from the inserter and only the Goalkeeper may stand inside the goal.
If you would like to know more about the rules in detail here are the official FIH Rulebook's PDF for both outdoor and indoor field hockey.
NON-TRAVEL
If you're brand new to field hockey, have only played the outdoor version for a year or cannot travel with us once a month to Lancaster, PA, we would reccommend joining us for our Pittsburgh only training.
In our Pittsburgh field hockey training sessions, we guide athletes from the basics of Indoor Field Hockey with simple skill lessons, to playing the game with guided scrimmages and chalk talk explaining the structures of the court positioning and the small variations of the indoor game to the outdoor one we play in school.
Our sessions are held once a week detailing the intro to indoor hockey and developing skills to learn the game as well as creating a space to hone your stick skills without the commitment to travel once a month to the tournaments. Indoor hockey is proved to heighten stick skills and speed up recognition to help the outdoor game.
DATE & TIME
U12 & U14
Friday's 6pm-8pm
November
8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th
Debember
6th, 13th & 20th
January
3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st
U16 & U19
Sunday's 3pm-5pm
November
3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th
December
1st, 15th & 22nd
January
12th, 19th & 26th
February
9th, 16th & 23rd
Equipment Needed
Indoor Field Hockey Stick (Outdoor Okay),
Non-Slip Shoes,
Gloves (Left Hand Required),
Mouth Guard,
Shin Guards,
Venom Pinny (New members receive one at 1st practice),
Venom Uniform (Required for All Travel Players),
Water Bottle,
Good Attitude!
COST
$675 / Field Player
$675 / Goalkeeper
*There will be a $50 late registration fee after the deadline of 10/13/2024*
**For sibling discount (20%) & offline payment options please contact us**
LOCATION
341 Washington Ave, Bridgeville, PA, 15017
TRAVEL
Our Travel program is built just like our Non-Travel to bring beginners into Indoor Field Hockey to competing in competitive one-day if you're brand new to or have played indoor field hockey before and would like to train and play in one day tournamentas once a month to Lancaster, PA, we would reccommend joining us for our Travel program.
In our Travel program, we guide athletes from the basics of Indoor Field Hockey with simple skill lessons, to playing the game with guided scrimmages and chalk talk explaining the structures of the court positioning and the small variations of the indoor game. Once a month we travel to Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, PA.
Travel is the next step in our programming. We will make team placements of all registered athletes and we offer once a week training sessions with your team coaches. Once a month (Sat) you will travel to Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, PA for a one day tournament with your team.
DATE & TIME
U12 & U14
Friday's 5pm-7pm
November
8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th
December
6th, 13th & 20th
January
3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st
U16 & U19
Sunday's
U16 11am-1pm
U19 1pm-3pm
November
3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th
December
1st, 15th & 22nd
January
12th, 19th & 26th
February
9th, 16th & 23rd
TOURNAMENTS
Spooky Nook Sports
75 Champ Blvd, Manheim, PA, 17545
4x25min Games
Round Robin - Best Record Wins
December 7th 2024
January 4th 2025
February 1st 2025
Equipment Needed
Indoor Field Hockey Stick (Outdoor Okay),
Non-Slip Shoes,
Gloves (Left Hand Required),
Mouth Guard,
Shin Guards,
Venom Pinny (New members receive one at 1st practice),
Venom Uniform (Required for All Travel Players),
Water Bottle,
Good Attitude!
COST
$975/Athlete
$675/Goalkeeper
*There will be a $50 late registration fee after the deadline of 10/13/2024*
**For sibling discount (20%) & offline payment options please contact us**
LOCATION
341 Washington Ave, Bridgeville, PA, 15017
ELITE TRAVEL
The old NITQ Teams is now VENOM ELITE! Its now better than ever! Venom Elite is the highest skill level training we offer.
We encourage all who wish to push themselves to try-out for Elite because if you don't get selected you will be place in our Travel program.
We have an expectation to qualify for Nationals at a National Indoor Tournament Qualifier which are held regionally before the end of the season. If you are not selected from Try-Outs for our elite program we will place you on a Travel team and refund you the difference.
We have made a massive decision this year to optimize our Elite programming to be the best we can. We have MOVED Elite to Pro+ Sports in Monroeville. It is a brand new three sport court facility where we can master teach our entire Elite program at once! U14, U16 & U19 each get their own court and train and scrimmage together for the entire session where we can play and train alongside everyone for the first time ever.
We will be hosting Try-Out session's before the season for all athletes who wish to play in our Elite program. Elite teams will practice once a week on a Sunday mornings and have dedicated scrimmage's on Wednesday evenings. Once a month regular season Spooky Nook Tournaments once a month (Sun). Furthermore we attend an additional tournament during the year which is called the National Indoor Tournament Qualifier. If the team does well enough at the NITQ they will qualify for Nationals at the end of the year to compete for a National Championship. There is an additional cost for the National Indoor Tournament if we Qualify.
During the season as we see how people are training/playing there can be movement throughout the teams to optimize each team depending on teamwork and skill. If you prove to us that you belong in a higher skill level team the coaches will make those decisions as the season continues.
TRYOUT'S
October 27th
BRIDGEVILLE HOCKEYPLEX
341 Washington Ave, Bridgeville, PA, 15017
U14 - 11am-12pm | U16 - 12pm-2pm | U19 - 2pm-4pm
October 30th
PRO+ SPORTS - MONROEVILLE
855 MacBeth Dr, Monroeville, PA 15146
U16 & U19 - 5:30pm-8:30pm
DATE & TIME
U14, U16 & U19
Elite Training Sessions
Sunday's 8am-10am
November
3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th
December
1st, 15th & 22nd
January
12th, 19th & 26th
February
9th & 16th
U16 & U19
Elite Scrimmages
Wednesdays 5:30pm-8:30pm
November
6th, 13th & 20th
December
4th, 11th & 18th
January
8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th
February
5th, 12th, 19th & 26th
TOURNAMENTS
Spooky Nook Sports
75 Champ Blvd, Manheim, PA, 17545
4x25min Games
Round Robin - Best Record Wins
December 8th 2024
January 5th 2025
February 2nd 2025
National Indoor Qualifier
TBD Dec 2024-Jan 2025
TBD Location
Nationals
U14
February 14th-17th 2025
Spooky Nook Sports
U19
February 21st-23rd 2025
Richmond Convention Center
U16
February 28th-March 2nd 2025
Spooky Nook Sports
Equipment Needed
Indoor Field Hockey Stick (Outdoor Okay),
Non-Slip Shoes,
Gloves (Left Hand Required),
Mouth Guard,
Shin Guards,
Venom Pinny (New members receive one at 1st practice),
Venom Uniform (Required for All Travel Players),
Water Bottle,
Good Attitude!
COST
$975/U14 Elite Athlete +$450 Nationals Fee (NO QUALIFIER)
$975/U16 & U19 Elite Athlete +$375 Wed Scrimmages & NITQ Fee (NOT INCLUDING NATIONALS)
$875/U14, U16 & U19 Elite Goalkeeper
*There will be a $50 late registration fee after the deadline of 10/13/2024*
**For sibling discount (20%) & offline payment options please contact us**
LOCATION
