Girls Field Hockey On Chopping Block At TVUSD High Schools

TEMECULA, CA—Field hockey at Temecula Valley Unified School District high schools may no longer be offered as a girls' sport, the district says, but parents and coaches are mobilizing to prevent that.

TVUSD recently cited that there is "very good fiscal, transportation and instructional justification for the decision to phase out field hockey and add sports such as girls flag football and girls beach volleyball to the sports roster," according to a recent Friday Update obtained by Patch.

Recently, Athletic Administrators and Principals from Chaparral High School, Great Oak High School, and Temecula Valley High School met with Field Hockey coaches and teams, conveying the news that Field Hockey programs would be "phased out." Chaparral High School already reportedly does not plan to have a field hockey team for the 2025/26 school year. Meanwhile, GOHS and TVHS still plan to have a varsity field hockey team for the Fall of 2025, and are battling to save the program, which has brought exercise, enthusiasm, and collegiate scholarship opportunities to area high school students for many years.

"As you can imagine, there are a lot of disappointed and distressed players, parents, coaches and associated community members," Steve Press told Patch.

He is the father of a field hockey player at Great Oak High School, and describes that program as "robust and thriving with a ton of 'feel good' stories related to their community involvement, cumulative GPAs, and more. He added, "apparently, it's OK these days to eliminate programs indiscriminately without consultation or feedback, but these girls deserve better." Press has spearheaded a website to coordinate the group's efforts to save the sport of Field Hockey in the valley.

Though many parents, players, and coaches planned on attending the Tuesday school board meeting, Patch has obtained a letter from the TVUSD asking that they attend a special meeting on March 10 to address the potential phase-out.

Dear Field Hockey Student-Athletes, Parents, and Coaches,

On behalf of the Temecula Valley Unified School District, we would like to invite you to attend an important meeting on Monday, March 10th, at 6:00 PM in the Performing Arts Center at Great Oak High School. Dr. Woods, TVUSD Superintendent and Dr. Anderson, TVUSD Board President will be present along with other district leaders to listen to your concerns, address any questions, and discuss the proposed plan to phase out the field hockey program within the Temecula Valley Unified School District over the next few years. Administrators from CHS, GOHS, and TVHS will also be present.

This is a crucial opportunity for all those who care about the future of the field hockey program to voice their concerns and engage in meaningful conversation. We value your input and encourage you to attend.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Kellie Foster, mother of a former Temecula Valley High School field hockey player, wrote that she understands the dilemma of area high schools on the Save Temecula Field Hockey website.

"My daughter started Field hockey her freshman year under Tiffany Huisman, and like most of the girls, she had no idea how to play. Thanks to Tiffany and the 79ers, she learned quickly and ended up getting a scholarship for this sport. It is hard for kids to get scholarships, so we are very thankful for Tiffany and all she has done for this program."

Foster has experienced traveling far to play games, and the number of high schools offering the sport is diminishing.

"I do understand the frustration of having to go far to play games. It is unfortunate Murrieta never picked up the sport. I think they would have loved it and we would have been able to play closer teams. I do know the parents helped pay for a lot, and Jennifer Nguyen helped get us a lot of funding so the school would not have to be out of pocket. Sharing the football field was tough, which is why we started off on the baseball field and moved our way up to the football field. I would assume flag football will have most of the same struggles at the beginning. After all the work put into getting the program going, it will be sad to see it gone. Too bad we can’t have both."

Tiffany Huisman, a 2008 Olympian and former Temecula Valley coach, owns 79 Field Hockey in Temecula, which trains middle schoolers to play the game. Together with NCAA All-American and current Great Oak High School coach Katie Gerfen, they established 79 Field Hockey to grow and promote the sport in and around the Temecula Valley. They are lending their expertise to area teams to save the local field hockey programs.

The 79 Field Hockey program members often join high school girls' field hockey programs. She discussed that many girls start with limited experience with the game, which offers a niche place for some who otherwise would not play a high school sport. She has helped several Temecula players move on to the college level.

"You can't take away one female sport to add another female sport," she told Patch. "The sad thing is, removing the field hockey program would take away opportunities for girls who could play collegiate sports."

Whether or not a girl's high school sport can be removed indiscriminately is a matter of question, and possibly federal law, both Huisman and the supporters of Save Temecula Field Hockey contend.

Title IX, a federal law most recently in the spotlight for ending transgender athletes from playing women's sports, requires schools to provide equal opportunities for male and female students to participate in sports. This includes the opportunities mandated by the California Interscholastic Federation, which governs sports at TVUSD and all California high schools.

In a word, Title IX requires all educational institutions in the U.S. to reward male and female athletes equally. Replacing one female sport (field hockey) with another (flag football) may boost the number of players due to projected enthusiasm for the new sport, but there is no guarantee that girls who play field hockey would want to play flag football.

"Assuming that field hockey players will automatically transition to another sport dismisses the unique skills, dedication, and passion these athletes have for their game," Press said. "Excitement for one sport does not justify the elimination of another."

The school district provided a fall sports interest survey to 8th through 11th graders, provided by Save Temecula Field Hockey, which 330 responded with the below interests:

Do you think girls' field hockey should remain part of Temecula Valley Unified School District's girls' sports offerings? Let us know, and be sure to attend the 6 p.m. Monday, March 10th, meeting at the Performing Arts Center at Great Oak High School to share your thoughts.