Masters (women)

Field hockey is a lifetime sport, and the women in the Masters Division have emphasized that fact since the very first Festival. Women entering the Masters Division must be at least 30 years old and must be able to break that old habit of remaining onside.

Veterans (men)

An alumni favorite at the World Cup and other major international events, veterans games are much-celebrated, eagerly-anticipated contests at most major international events with participants traveling thousands of miles to take part in the festivities. The Veteran's Division made its inaugural appearance at the 1998 Festival with an international field of teams.

To compete as a member of a veteran’s team, players must be at least 40 years old, and the combined ages of a team’s players on the field must exceed 500.

Age Group Boys

A compass-full of California teams participated in the first Age Group Division for men in 1997 with the North squad edging teams from the East, West and South to take the title. With the appropriate number of teams, Under 16 and Under 14 championships may also be contested.

Age Group Girls

As part of the original Hockey Festival in 1981, the High School Jamboree allowed teams of high school-aged players the rare opportunity to compete against other squads from across the country. Since that time, the Jamboree has evolved into the Age Group Divisions featuring Under 16 and Under 19 pool play. But a change in the name isn’t the only difference from the first Festival. The number of teams has risen from 12 to 127 while the level of play has skyrocketed from "the place where players learned to hold their first stick" to a competitive showcase for future collegiate stars.

There is no qualifying procedure to reach the Festival (teams are accepted until all available spots are filled) and the composition of the squads differs from team to team. The teams may represent the core of a high school squad, an all-star team selected as the result of state or camp tryouts or simply a group of players forming a team to play at the Festival. The teams are placed in their pools based on geographical diversity and past performances at the Festival.
The age for players in the division is determined as of January 1 and each player is responsible for consulting the guidelines of her respective state high school federation to determine her eligibility to play in the Festival. These eligibility rules are often as diverse as the athletes themselves and range from the days of the week players may participate to regulations on team composition and coaching staff.

Under 16 Girls

Under 19 Girls