After spending three-plus seasons playing home games off-campus, the Hawks returned to City Avenue in 2011 when they opened up Ellen Ryan Field on the Maguire Campus.
Named for longtime assistant athletic director and Saint Joseph's women's sports pioneer Ellen Ryan, Ryan Field is equipped with a top-of-the-line synthetic AstroTurf12 surface, state-of-the-art water cannons, an irrigation drainage system, a mobile press box, and bleacher seating for 200 fans.
"Ellen Ryan Field is a great facility that has aided the growth of our program and the local hockey community. Our water-based pitch allows for a fast, smooth, and skilled quality match in an outstanding location on campus. The stands are always full of a contagious energy and spirit from our fans and fellow SJU students. We love playing at home on Hawk Hill!" – Saint Joseph's field hockey head coach Lynn Farquhar
In its brief history, the facility has already hosted three Atlantic 10 Field Hockey Championships (2011, 2015, 2018) and witnessed SJU's first Atlantic 10 regular season championship since 1995 when the Hawks defeated Massachusetts in overtime on October 21, 2016.
Since the opening of Ellen Ryan Field, the Hawks have won four Atlantic 10 regular season championships (2016-19), three Atlantic 10 postseason tournament titles (2017-19), and reached the top 10 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll in both 2018 and 2019.
“When you think of women’s athletics at SJU, the first name you think of is, and should be, Ellen Ryan. We hope that by putting her name on this field, the University can honor her contributions now and forever.” – former Director of Athletics Don DiJulia
Ellen Ryan, who retired from Saint Joseph’s in August of 2011, served in the athletic department for 37 years and was the driving force behind the growth of women’s athletics programs at Saint Joseph’s. She served as SJU’s first women’s basketball coach and also coached the women’s tennis team for a time. Her vision and dedication are the foundation upon which Ryan Field, and the women’s athletics program at Saint Joseph’s, are built.
Prior to moving to the Maguire Campus, the Hawks spent the 2008 through 2010 seasons playing predominantly at Drexel’s Buckley Field. SJU amassed a 12-12 “home” record at the facility during that stretch. The field hockey program was previously a tenant at Finnesey Field – now known as Sweeney Field – where the Hawks posted a .559 winning percentage over 24 seasons.