Player's Guide to NFHS High School Varsity Field Hockey (Grades 9-12) 2026

Yes, one per game. Under NFHS Rule 4-1-3:

• Each team gets one 90-second time-out per game (added in 2022).
• It can be requested by the coach or, since 2023, the playing captain from a nearby official. If no playing captain is on the field, only the coach can call it.
• It can only be taken during a stoppage when your team has possession, or after either team scores.
• It can't be used between quarters.

Second time-out (since 2024): if a team asks for a second time-out and the official stops play, the time-out isn't granted. The coach gets a yellow card and the team must remove one field player for 5 minutes of playing time. That player can be swapped for another field player, but the team still plays short.

Not under the NFHS rule itself. Since 2020, NFHS Rule 1-6-5 says goggles may be worn by all field hockey players, so they're optional.

• If you wear eye protection, it must be permanently labeled as meeting the ASTM F2713 standard for field hockey at the time it was made.
• Your state association, school or parents can still require goggles, so a goggle requirement may apply even though the NFHS rule is optional.
• The NFHS notes there's no NOCSAE standard for field hockey goggles, and that ASTM F2713 eyewear isn't protective against a direct hit from the ball in testing.

Before 2020, all field players had to wear ASTM F2713 eyewear.

Yes. NFHS rules require a tooth and mouth protector for all players, including goalkeepers (Rule 1-6-1).

What's legal:

• It must be an intraoral mouth protector (one that fits inside the mouth). The Maryland state association has ruled a mouth guard illegal because it wasn't intraoral.
• New for 2026: it must not have non-functional or unsafe attachments. The NFHS says the protector is only there to protect the teeth, mouth and lips, so add-ons that don't do that, or that create a safety risk, aren't allowed.
• Wearing illegal equipment, or not wearing required equipment, earns the player a misconduct penalty.

Yes. Under NFHS Rule 1-6-5:

• Defenders may wear a penalty corner face mask. Since 2025, a smooth, rounded wire-caged mask is also allowed.
• Since 2020, a player may wear a corner mask instead of goggles while defending the corner.
• Take it off once the corner ends. If there's no suitable chance to remove it, you may keep it on while play stays inside the 25-yard area.
• Wearing the mask beyond the 25-yard area is a misconduct penalty.
• If the defense gets a free hit inside the 25-yard area (for example, after an attacking foul in the circle), the mask can stay on. Officials may ask players to remove masks if there's a stoppage before the corner sequence ends.

Under NFHS uniform rules (changed for 2025, Rule 1-5-1):

The change lets home teams wear their primary school colors. Other uniform requirements include:

• Bottoms (shorts, skirts, kilts or pants) must be like-colored.
• Players wearing undershirts must all wear the same color.
• Numbers must be a solid, contrasting color with no more than two digits (00-99).
• Goalkeeper tops must also carry a number that meets the NFHS size requirements.

Yes, under current NFHS rules:

• Jewelry: since 2023, the rule banning jewelry (former Rule 1-5-5) has been removed, so players may wear jewelry. The NFHS made the change to help officials enforce the rules consistently.
• Hair adornments: since 2022, players may wear hair adornments that don't present a risk to themselves, teammates or opponents. They no longer have to be made of soft material.
• Religious head coverings: Rule 1-4-5 (2021) gives direction on head coverings worn for religious reasons, aiming to protect religious freedom without increasing the risk of injury.

Under NFHS rules:

• Field players and goalkeepers are responsible for their own gear. A player who wears an illegal uniform, uses illegal equipment, or removes or doesn't wear required equipment gets a misconduct penalty (a card). Before 2022, the head coach was penalized.
• Goalkeeper missing required equipment (for example, a throat protector): the official stops play and the goalkeeper must be properly equipped or replaced by a fully equipped substitute. If the team can't provide a properly equipped goalkeeper, it forfeits (2024 and 2025 NFHS interpretations).
• Goalkeeper top problems (wrong color, no number): since 2024 the goalkeeper's top counts as uniform, not required equipment, so the game isn't forfeited. If it can't be fixed, the game is played and the official reports it to the state association.

Under NFHS rules, cards suspend the player and the team plays one player short while the card is served:

• Re-entering early: a suspended player who stays in or re-enters before serving the full time is removed to serve the remaining time. A disqualified player who stays in or re-enters is removed, and the team plays short (Rule 8-2-1, since 2023).
• Suspended goalkeeper: the coach removes one field player, and the goalkeeper is replaced by another fully equipped goalkeeper. If the goalkeeper was suspended only for a jersey violation, the goalkeeper may stay in and a field player is removed instead (Rule 8-2-1, 2025).
• Coaches can also be carded. If a team asks for a second time-out and play is stopped, the coach gets a yellow card and the team removes a field player for 5 minutes of playing time.

Only for the defending goalkeeper. Under NFHS Rule 4-4-3 (revised for 2026), substitution before a penalty corner is allowed only when the defending goalkeeper is ill, injured, suspended or disqualified.

• The goalkeeper must be replaced by a properly equipped substitute goalkeeper.
• If the goalkeeper is suspended, the team also plays one player short for the suspension.

The committee limited substitutions here for safety reasons and to keep penalty corners running smoothly.

Under 2026 NFHS rules:

• Whistle start (Rule 10-2-1, since 2024): the official administering the corner blows the whistle to tell the inserter play may start. Either official may sound it. If the ball is inserted before the whistle, play is stopped and the corner is reset.
• Inserter position (since 2022): the inserter can't have both feet inside the field of play when the ball is inserted.
• Attacker in the circle early (Rule 10-3-3, changed for 2026): if an attacker enters the circle before the ball is played, the inserter must go beyond the center line. Before 2026, the offending player went back. The change makes the penalty clear and consistent.
• Delay: an inserter who delays putting the ball in play can get a green card. The corner isn't canceled; it continues once the card is dealt with.

Under NFHS rules (changes since 2023, Rules 8-1-1w and 8-2-1k):

• Loose equipment that affects play is a foul. Officials can stop play because loose equipment on the field can be dangerous.
• If the ball hits loose defensive equipment inside the circle, the attack gets a penalty corner. If the official judges that the loose equipment stopped a goal, the attack gets a penalty stroke.
• Example from the NFHS 2024 interpretations: the defending goalkeeper's helmet comes off while diving for a save in the circle. The official stops play and awards a penalty corner to the attack.
• Throwing equipment in a dangerous or unsportsmanlike way is a misconduct penalty (a card).

Yes, in most cases. Under NFHS Rule 11-2-7 (revised for 2025), if a penalty stroke is awarded at the end of the game, play continues so the stroke can be completed, unless a goal from the stroke couldn't affect the outcome of the game. This matches the end-of-game procedure for penalty corners.

Since 2024, if time expires just before an official would otherwise have made a decision (for example, while holding the whistle to allow an advantage), the official may still award a penalty corner or penalty stroke immediately after the quarter ends (Rule 2-1-7).