Alison McGillivray

Alison McGillivray, from North Vancouver, plays for the North Van Mariners and is a member of the Canada Masters Field Hockey Committee. She has represented Canada in two Masters World Cups – 2015 Canberra, in Australia, and 2018 Terrassa / Barcelona, in Spain.

Field Hockey BC spoke with Ali about her experiences with the Canadian Masters team, the importance and the role of the Masters Committee and how our field hockey members can join the team!

Alison’s Career

Alison started playing field hockey when she was 23 and was immediately “hooked”. “It was great to have something to do on a Saturday (other than watching my husband play rugby) and I loved the game although it took me a while to get used to it (some might say I have still not figured it out!)”. She then joined the Meralomas, multisport club which offered social activities. Between playing, umpiring and enjoying the atmosphere of Connaught Park, Alison saw field hockey becomes a very large part of her life. “I started a field hockey program at Little Flower Academy and coached there for 25 years as well as doing some coaching in the junior league”. As as Masters player, she had the fortune of participating in two Masters World Cups (Canberra in 2016 and Terrassa in 2018). Currently, she plays for the North Van Mariners and umpire in the women’s and the junior leagues.

The Importance of the Masters Players

“There are so many women participating in the Vancouver Women’s League who are in the 35+ age group. They have a passion for the game, skill (many of them play in the top divisions) and a desire to keep involved in a wonderful sport”. McGillivray also points out that many of the volunteers positions in the leagues across BC are occupied by  by Masters’ athletes who understand the importance of giving back to the community. Additionally, coaches and umpires are often Masters as well. “I see Masters athletes as role models for young players, showing them that field hockey is a game for life and not just up to a certain age.”

“During league play I have difficulty differentiating a ‘Masters’ player from anyone else on the field. It is wonderful that leagues consist of players of all ages”, Alison says. With the growth of the Masters program, those who are older will find even more opportunities to play, “which is always good!”. There is an annual tournament in Victoria and the Vancouver International Tournament has had a masters’ division for several years now. As the pinnacle of a Masters career, there is always the opportunity to compete for Canada at different age levels in the outdoor or indoor World Cups. “One aspect that I really enjoy about Masters competition is it brings players together from different clubs. People that you compete against in usual league play become your teammates.”

The Masters Committee

“The FHC Masters Committee was started by Ian Baggott whose vision sent a women’s over 50 and a men’s over 50 to the Canberra World Cup in 2015. It now is a group of volunteers who meet on a regular basis with Susan Ahrens of FHC to encourage Masters participation on both the domestic and the world stage. Right now, the focus is on the 2022 World Cups, in Nottingham, Cape Town and Tokyo for outdoor competition, and Virginia Beach for indoor hockey.”

“There were many players who fit the category of “Masters” long before it became a popular term. I know that leagues everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to the women who played, organized teams to go to tournaments and spent countless administrative hours making sure that everyone, no matter what age, could enjoy the sport.”

Players 35+ are encouraged to visit the Canada Masters website. This following link will take you to a registration form on the site that will ensure that you receive the latest information the Masters initiatives: https://mastersfieldhockey.ca/masters-hockey-registration.

The FHC Masters Committee is starting to organize for the 2022 Outdoor and Indoor World Cups and more information will be coming out soon about the tournaments. To conclude, Alison simply asks our members to “please, think about participating!”

Indoor World Cup 2022

February 15-20 – Virginia Beach, USA
O40 W & M  /  O45 W & M  /  O50 W & M  /  O55 W & M  /  O60 W & M (added)

Outdoor World Cups 2022

August 12-21 – Nottingham, England
O35 W & M  /  O40 W & M

October 1-10 – Cape Town, South Africa
O45 – O55 M  /  O45 – O65 W  /  O55 M Spirit of Masters  /  O55 – O65 W Spirit of Masters

October 19-29 – Tokyo, Japan
O60 – O80 M  /  O60 – O80 M Spirit of Masters

If you are interested in or have any questions about the Field Hockey Canada Masters program, please don’t hesitate to contact Alison at alimcgillivray1@gmail.com

Clive and Heather carrying the Canadian flag at the 2018 Barcelona World Masters opening ceremony

Heather and Clive Wheatley, from Victoria, are members of the Victoria Rebels and have both represented the Canadian 50+ in the 2018 Barcelona World Masters, being flag barriers at the opening ceremony. Heather also played in the 2019 Hong Kong Indoor Masters over 45’s.

Heather Wheatley

“Representing Team Canada and the opportunity to wear our country’s colours at an international tournament was surreal and a life time event”. Aside from being the flag barrier at the opening ceremonies along with her husband, Clive, Heather also fondly remembers “setting up my sister, Sharon Rajaraman, for our first goal…a tournament I will never forget!”

She played in the 2018 Barcelona World Masters over 50’s, where Canada placed 14th, and the 2019 Hong Kong Indoor Masters over 45’s, where Canada placed 4th. “These international events are very well organized and bring together the hockey communities from around the world… you realize it is a huge hockey family”, she says.

“As we grow our Masters programs, we will have more age categories representing Canada at these events. I encourage others to join from across the country for the upcoming indoor and outdoor teams.

Additionally to playing for the Rebels in Victoria, Heather is also on the Wildcats Premier team. In order to continue to play competitively, she has been working hard and staying fit, which has allowed her to enjoy some special moments and cultivate old and new friendships.

Clive Weathley

Representing Team Canada in the 50s division at the 2018 Barcelona World Masters was a an experience Clive will never forget. “We all recognized it was an honour and privilege to be representing our country and gave it everything we had in the 35 degree heat.”

The tournament, hosted by Club Egara from Terrassa, had 16 countries competing in the 50+ division. “. It was eye-opening to see the quality of international masters hockey.”

Although Clive had higher expectations than the 14th place finish, he enjoyed his time in Spain making new friends and sharing the moment with his wife, Heather. “Carrying the Canadian flag with her at the opening ceremony was the most memorable moment for me.”

Reaching the Canadian Masters team wasn’t an easy task. is a competitive selection process to qualify for the team, requiring players to stay fit a keeping their skills sharp. “I am super motivated to try out for the team again and represent Canada in Cape Town, South Africa – the Masters World Cup, originally scheduled for 2020, was postponed until 2022 –, and encourage anyone to give it a go!”

Gurjit Sidhu (right) and Langdon Kitagawa

Gurjit Sidhu (on the right), from Abbotsford, is a Burnaby Lake FHC / Gobind Sarvar member and has represented the Canadian Masters 50+ team in the 2018 Masters World Cup in Terrassa, Spain.

“Putting on the Canadian jersey and scoring goals versus teams like Argentina will be something I’ll never forget. I enjoyed every moment with my fantastic teammates and coaches, friendships that will last a lifetime”. Representing Canada is something only a select few people will ever do. Gurjit enjoyed his opportunity to the fullest, finishing as the teams joint top scorer at the tournament.

“I would tell people to Enjoy the opportunity to represent your country. There is no better feeling. The whole experience was so enjoyable would definitely recommend for those who can and enjoy the sport to make an effort to try competing in such an amazing event.”

FHBC is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Allyn Murison Grassroots Bursary. The application deadline is May 31st, 2021, and the recipients should be announced in June.

The Allyn Murison Grassroots Bursary is designed to support female athletes under the age of 12 and focuses on assisting with the costs involved in playing field hockey at the club level. Five awards of up to $100 will be made annually. However, if, in any one year, there are candidates requiring greater financial aid, larger amounts may be considered (to a maximum of $250).

This is a legacy fund gift held in perpetuity with the FHBC Foundation following the passing of Allyn Murison who was passionate about getting young female athletes involved in our great game.

Go to www.fhbcfoundation.com for more information and to download the application forms.

We ask you all to read the message below with care. If you have the chance, please consider assisting Kayla and her family in this fight. Together, we can help Kayla win this!

“Kayla Dosen is a caring, outgoing and spritely 15-year old girl who loves sports (especially field hockey), music and spending time with her friends and family.

Kayla was recently diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and has now been transported to Children’s Hospital in Vancouver for further testing to determine the next steps for treatment.

Kayla’s parents, Megan and Rob, have travelled with her to Vancouver to be by her side. As you can imagine, this ordeal will be nothing short of a long road ahead with many unexpected expenses. Any support for the family at this time of need is greatly appreciated!”

To donate, access https://www.gofundme.com/f/d7wk7-support-for-kayla-dosen-and-family?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet

THE VICTORIA PROGRAM IS FULL. SPOTS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE FOR THE PROGRAM IN DUNCAN.

Registration is now open for our 6-week Island Technical Development Spring program. These programs are open to male and female athletes born in 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006.

The program details are as follows:

Register now: https://www.fieldhockeybc.ca/fhbc/regionals.php/
(Please select ‘Development’ under Program Level)

The deadline to register is Friday, April 30^th. However, please note that registration is limited to maintain an athlete to coach ratio of 8:1, and will be on a first come-first served basis.

These programs will continue to follow viaSport’s Return to Sport Phase 2 guidance and FHBC’s Responsible Return to Play guidelines to ensure the health and safety of all participants. Full physical distancing (3 metres) will be maintained throughout the program.

For more information on these programs please visit our Female program page, or our Male program page.

If you have any questions, please contact Katie Jameson at katie@fieldhockeybritishcolumbia.com.