The Outaouais Field Hockey Club of Ottawa was founded in 1971 by the amalgamation of the Ottawa Valiants women’s and the Ottawa-Hull men’s field hockey clubs, themselves founded in 1968 and 1969.  

The Club colours were designated as red, white, and blue and the Club crest was designed by Walter Kooiman and Victor Wallace in 1971.  Outaouais is the French name for our region and its Indigenous Peoples.   The red maple leaf represents the Canadian flag and the tepee made from the crossed field hockey sticks symbolizes the Indigenous origins of the Outaouais region, while the blue represents the water of the Ottawa River.

Since its inception, the Outaouais Field Hockey Club (FHC) has provided recreational and competitive indoor and outdoor field hockey opportunities for men, women, boys, and girls of all ages.  Currently, the Club’s members range in age from 14 – 67.  The Club also provides coaching for beginning and experienced players and for those interested in umpiring.  Club members include certified coaches and officials who have been instrumental in developing the sport within the Club and region.

The outdoor season runs from April to October and the Club is fortunate to be an anchor tenant and able to play on the turf field at the Nepean Sportsplex. (Lansdowne was the previous turf before the CFL took over).  In the winter, outdoor field hockey is played on field turf inside a covered dome.  

Over the years members of the Outaouais Field Hockey Club have been involved in playing, coaching, umpiring, administration, and volunteering with the local high schools, universities, Regional programs as well as with Field Hockey Ontario and Field Hockey Canada both nationally and internationally.   

The Club currently has an Executive Council comprised of a President, Treasurer, Secretary, a Junior Women’s Coordinator, and members-at-large that meet regularly to plan the Club’s playing and social activities and to ensure the guidelines and constitution of the Club are maintained.   5 of the current 8 Executive members have been members of Outaouais for over 30 years.    3 members that started playing as juniors in 2007 are still playing.  By providing playing opportunities and social activities, members have stayed long-term. The 2020-2021 season saw an increase of almost 100 new members.

Outaouais is very proud of the fact that 3 men and 3 women who have represented Canada at the Olympics were at one time members of Outaouais.  One of those members, Reg Plummer, has been a Club member for almost 50 years and is still playing with the Club as well as coaching and umpiring.  Other Club members have gone on to play in universities.  Rowan Harris, goalkeeper on the Women’s National Team, was a Club member.

Outaouais is proud that current members Reg Plummer and Denys Cooper were recently inducted into the 2019 FHC Hall of Fame.

http://www.fieldhockey.ca/inductee/denys-cooper-builder/

http://www.fieldhockey.ca/2020/08/24/reg-plummer-field-hockey-canada-hall-of-fame-inductee-2/

The Club is also proud to say that Patrick Burrows – Athlete inductee to FHC’s inaugural Hall of Fame and 3 members of the 1983 Women’s National Team, 2019 FHC Hall of Fame inductees, were at one time members of Outaouais.

Former members of the Outaouais Field Hockey Club can be found around the world.

Due to Covid-19, planning for the Club’s 50th Anniversary celebrations have been slow, but the Club hopes to have some virtual displays on the website and an in-person banquet in the Fall of 2021, when conditions permit.  We encourage everyone to check out our website at www.outaouaisfhc.ca