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What a field hockey scrimmage is
A field hockey scrimmage is a game between two club teams, usually played on turf, that sits outside league results. Coaches use it to try a new press, test a new back line, and rehearse penalty corners against a real defense. The two clubs agree on halves or quarters, team size and any rule changes before the push-back.
How to find a field hockey scrimmage in 4 steps
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Set your team details
Pick field hockey, then set the birth year, gender (boys, girls or co-ed) and level: recreational, development, competitive or premier. Add your travel radius. If you'd take on a team a year or two older or younger, list how many birth years you will play up or down; Next Play shows when ranges overlap.
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Search, or post your turf slot
Look through field hockey teams near you that fit. Turf is hard to book, so if you already hold a slot, post an open game with the date, time window and venue, and matching teams can claim it.
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Send a friendly invite
Choose your team, the date, the start time and who hosts (your turf or theirs). The other club accepts, suggests another time, or declines with a reason. If the team you want isn't on Play 2 Earn Sports, invite the club by name and we email it an invite with one reminder.
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Play, then confirm the score
After the start, one club enters the score and the other confirms or disputes it within 48 hours. Confirmed games go on your team's schedule and add to each team's record, which stays separate from league standings.
How long is a field hockey scrimmage?
Field hockey is played in quarters at many levels and halves at others, and a scrimmage can use either. The turf booking usually sets the limit. Common patterns:
- Younger players (roughly U10 to U12): small-sided games such as 6v6 or 7v7 across part of the turf, short quarters or halves, and frequent water breaks.
- Middle ages (roughly U14): four quarters or two halves, often a little shorter than league games, with players moving to larger-sided play.
- High school age and older: close to full-length quarters, 11v11 on the full turf. Many coaches finish with a block of penalty corners for both sides, played as a drill rather than for the score.
Rolling substitutions are part of the game, so most scrimmages let coaches rotate freely. A 90-minute turf slot often fits a warm-up, a game and a short corner session. These are examples; agree your own format with the other coach.
What to agree before the game
- Turf and booking: which surface, whether it needs watering, and the exact on and off times.
- Format: quarters or halves, their length, and the breaks between them.
- Team size: 11v11 or a small-sided game, and how much of the turf you use.
- Penalty corners: played as normal, limited, or run as a separate drill block at the end.
- Substitutions: rolling subs as usual, and whether a coach may stop play to teach.
- Officials: one umpire, two umpires, or coaches umpiring, and who arranges them.
- Safety gear: shin guards and mouthguards for field players, full kit for goalkeepers, and a rule on face masks for defending corners.
- Medical and kit: who brings the first aid kit and ice, and contrasting shirts plus a distinct goalkeeper top.
Why clubs use Next Play for field hockey scrimmages
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Find teams in a smaller sport
Field hockey clubs can be far apart. Search by birth year, gender and level within the radius you set, and see play-up and play-down overlaps at a glance.
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Turn your turf booking into a game
Post an open game for a slot you already hold, and matching teams can claim it, so the booking doesn't go to waste.
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A chat just for staff
Each booked game gets one thread for the two clubs' staff. Confirm quarters or halves and the corner rules there. Players and parents can't read it, and report and block are built in.
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Umpires and an honest record
Request one official or a full crew; the host club and the official agree the fee, and Next Play doesn't charge for this. Every number in a team's record comes from friendlies both clubs confirmed, including late cancels and no-shows. Next Play is free for clubs to use.
Questions
Set up your team in Next Play with field hockey as the sport, your birth year, gender, level and travel radius. The app shows matching teams within that distance. Send one a friendly invite with the date, start time and host turf, or post an open game if you already have turf time and want another team to claim it.
Either works. Many levels now play quarters, while some school and club games still use halves. In a scrimmage the two coaches choose whichever suits the turf booking and their players. Younger teams often play short periods with more breaks. Agree the format and period length in the staff chat before game day.
The same as a game: a stick, shin guards, a mouthguard and turf shoes for field players, plus full protective kit for goalkeepers. Agree with the other club whether defenders may wear face masks for penalty corners. Bring a first aid kit and ice, and check that both teams have contrasting shirts.
Yes, if both clubs agree. Many scrimmages use one coach umpiring each half, or one umpire per half of the turf. A neutral umpire helps with dangerous-ball and obstruction calls, especially for older teams. In Next Play you can request one official or a full crew, and the host club agrees the fee directly with them.
No. Next Play keeps friendlies separate from league standings. They do count toward your team's own record in the app, built only from games both clubs confirmed: games, wins-losses-draws, late cancels and no-shows. One club enters the score after the start, and the other confirms or disputes it within 48 hours.
Adult club staff: owners, club managers, team managers and coaches the club allows. Players and parents do not use Next Play. After 25 confirmed games, a team reaches On Fire Streak recognition, which carries no money or prizes. Confirmed games go on your team's schedule.
