This page was last updated on September 25, 2024

Registration: Registration will open September 17th, 2024. Please use the registration tab above to access the registration portal. 

Location for Men & Women: Carleton University – Norm Fenn Gymnasium

*** NEW *** Location for Junior Program: Monarch Cricket Indoor Turf Facility – 565 West Hunt Club Road

Duration: October 2024 to March 2025 

Stick Together Program

Program Details

The Nighthawks Stick Together Program is an on-ramp for Indigenous youth to access our field hockey programs for FREE. For details on the program and how to register please click red the program page. 

The Nighthawks have moved away from traditional age groups and towards skill level and readiness. The Nighthawks offer 5 indoor programs:

  1. Junior Beginner : for those who are still learning the basic skills.
    • For example a new player between 8 and 13 years old
    • or a returning player between 8 and 12 years old.
  2. Junior Intermediate : for those who do have some basics
    • For example a returning player between 12 and 15 years old
    • or a new player between 14 and 16 years old who has previous experience with team sports.
  3. Senior Women: for women or older girls who have a good grasp of hockey skills
  4. Senior Men: for men or older boys who have a good grasp of hockey skills
  5. Turf Tuesdays 4-on-4: for men and women 17+ who have a good grasp of hockey skills

Refer to the handy graphic to help you understand the fluidity of our programs. If you’re not sure which program to register for please send us a message and we can help you decide.

Please visit the schedule page for the full and detailed schedule of the indoor season.

Junior Programs: For 8 to 17 year old boys and girls on Sundays at the new Monarch Cricket Indoor Turf Facility – 565 West Hunt Club Road
Junior Beginner will be from 10:00 – 11:00 am on Sundays from November 10th to March 16th, 2025
Junior Intermediate will be from 11:00 am-12:30 pm on Sundays from November 10th to March 16th, 2025

The Nighthawks will now be running our junior winter hockey on turf, meaning the equipment (sticks, shin guards, mouth guards, running shoes) are all the same as the outdoor season. 

Women’s Indoor Program: This program includes both practices and the Ottawa Women’s Indoor League. Practices will be November, January, and February on Saturday mornings. The 6-team league is Sunday mornings from January 18th to March 23rd. The Nighthawks will have two teams in the league. Teams will be split evenly during the first practice. The teams will play a game every Sunday between 9am and 12:45pm. Both the practices and league are played at Norm Fenn Gym, Carleton University.

Men’s Indoor Program: 2 hour sessions on Saturday mornings from October 5th to March 15th at Norm Fenn Gym, Carleton University.

Turf Tuesdays 4-on-4: ****** NEW PROGRAM***** This program is for all athletes (men and women) 17 years or older to play games weekly. This will be outdoor style and played on Turf at the new Monarch Cricket Indoor Turf Facility – 565 West Hunt Club Road. This program will run from November to March on Tuesdays from 7-9pm.

About Indoor Field Hockey

Indoor field hockey differs from its outdoor parent in several ways:

  • The playing field is in a gymnasium with a hard floor.
  • The shooting circle is a semicircle measured out 9m from each goal post.
  • Side-boards mark the sidelines helping to keep the ball in the field. The board surface facing inwards to the playing surface is angled slightly to encourage the ball to bounce down, not up.
  • The game is divided into 2 periods of 20 minutes.
  • The players may not hit the ball, but only push it or deflect it, and may not raise the ball except in the shooting circle, with the purpose of scoring a goal.
  • The balls and the sticks are similar, but players prefer lighter sticks than what is used for the outdoor game.
  • The small field and sideboards make indoor field hockey a quick, technical and physical game. Some of the original rules eventually influenced outdoor hockey, such as unrestricted substitution. It is often an ideal game for field hockey players to develop vision on and off the ball, developing a better understanding of tactics and set plays
  • Equipment: as usual, the Nighthawks will provide sticks during the first few sessions, but we encourage all athletes to have their own equipment. To purchase an indoor stick (different than an outdoor stick!), please visit our official sponsor’s site Revamp Sports. We do now have a local Revamp rep so be sure to reach out to us when you’re ready to make a purchase.