Field Hockey in the San Francisco Bay Area started in late 1960's at the Polo Grounds in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, and soon moved to the UC Berkeley campus in 1975. In the early days about 25 players scrimmaged on Sundays in open hockey practices with no organized league or teams. The early leaders were Moin Iqbal and Phiroze Nagarvala. Other leaders contributing to Bay Area's hockey success were Eric Schmeink and Tony Da Silva. The author has been involved with Bay Area hockey since 1976.

Club hockey soon started in 1976, and in 1978 the association hosted its first hockey tournament, named the Golden Gate Festival. Club teams like Marin and Hayward also hosted tournaments. The original organization, Northern California Field Hockey Association (NorCal), was disbanded in 1992 to form the current Bay Area Field Hockey Association (BAFHA). BAFHA was initially founded by four clubs: East Bay, Marin, Berkeley, and Sacramento. It remains the premier competetive mens field hockey organization in Northern California, and women are welcome and encouraged to join the clubs.

The BAFHA membership includes clubs from California's central valley (Yuba City, Woodland, Fresno, and Sacramento) and the Bay Area (Berkeley, Marin, San Francisco, Fremont, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, and Hayward). Many BAFHA clubs travel to tournaments in US and Canada, and individuals have participated in the US regional training centers and Olympic Festivals; and several have participated as members of the US National and Junior National Teams.