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HOCKEY

History

The modern game was founded by introducing the striking circle and changing the ball to a sphere from a rubber cube^. The Hockey Association was founded in 1886. The first international took place in 1895 when Ireland beat Wales 3-0 and the International Rules Board was founded in 1900.

Hockey was played at the Olympics between 1908 and 1920 but was dropped in 1924 due to the lack of international structure, leading to the foundation of the Federation Intrnationale de Hockey sur Gazon (FIH) as an international governing body by seven continental European nations, and hockey was reinstated in 1928 at Amsterdam. Men's hockey united under the FIH in 1970.

After the reintroduction of hockey, one of the most remarkable stories in Olympic history unfolden when India, under Dhyan Chand, 22, an army captain, India won the competition without conceding a goal. No other country would win an Olympic title until 1960 when, to the consternation of the Indian nation, Pakistan beat them 1-0 in the final. India regained the title in 1964 but their aura of invincibility had gone.

British hockey rediscovered the glory days in 1988, beating Germany 3-1 in the final. Stoke newsagent Imran Sherwani scored two goals in the final but the team’s most famous player was Sean Kerly.

The first women’s competition, in 1980, was won by the newly independent Zimbabwe, who were called up late for the tournament. It remains Zimbabwe’s only Olympic title.

Technical

Hockey is played on a pitch 91.4 metres long and 55m wide.

Each team have 11 players and each player carries a stick with a curled foot, flat on one side, to hit a ball the size of a seamless cricket ball (and as hard) into a goal that is 3.66m wide and 2.13m high.

Each side may have a goalkeeper (you do not have to) who is padded from tip to toe, as being hit by the ball hurts.

You cannot obstruct a player or kick the ball and if the referee does not like what you are doing, you’ll be green-carded as a warning, yellow-carded for the sin-bin, and red-carded for the early bath.

Penalties are the same as in football and penalty corners are unlike football, being arguably the most complicated set-piece in any team game in the history of sport.

The Major Players

For a long period, India and Pakistan dominated the Olympics, winning every gold medal from 1928 to 1968. But since then, several countries in the Southern Hemisphere have won medals in men's and women's history, including Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Zimbabwe.

Netherlands has traditionally provided the main opposition from Europe, the men winning the gold medal in 1996 and 2000 and the women in 1984 and 2008.

Beginners’ Guide

Drag Flick – a hit where the player crouches and the stick is almost flat on the ground. The hit is made with a sweeping motion, the ball running down the shaft until it flies off at the heel of the stick. The technique is frequently used in penalty corners.

Useless Information

In the early 1970s afrtificial turf began to be used. Synthetic pitches changed most aspects of hockey, gaining speed. The switch to synthetic surfaces ended Indian and Pakistani domination because artificial turf was too expensive - in comparison to the wealthier European countries - and since the 1970s Australia.