Field hockey

Field hockey is a popular sport for men and women in many countries around the world. In most countries, especially those in which ice hockey is not very prominent, it is simply known as hockey.

Related Topics:
Men - Women - Ice hockey

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Field hockey has several regular, prestigious international tournaments for both men and women such as the Olympic Games, the quadrennial World Hockey Cups, the annual Champions Trophies, and World Cups for juniors.

Related Topics:
Olympic Games - World Hockey Cup - Champions Trophies

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Indian and Pakistani national teams have traditionally dominated men's hockey, but have become less prominent recently, with The Netherlands, Germany and Australia gaining importance in the late 1980s. The Netherlands was the predominant international women's team before hockey was added to Olympic events. In the early 1990s Australia emerged as the strongest women's country, though retirement of a number of key players has weakened the team. Other important women teams are China, Korea, Argentina and Germany.

Related Topics:
India - Pakistan - The Netherlands - Germany - Australia - China - Korea - Argentina

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Many countries have extensive club competitions for both junior and senior players. Despite the large numbers of participants, club hockey is not a particularly large spectator sport and few players can afford to play professionally. In the United States, for instance, field hockey is widely regarded as a women's sport, but there are men's leagues as well, mostly on a collegiate level.

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In those countries where winter conditions prevent play on outdoor fields, field hockey is played indoors during the off-season. This indoor variant, known as indoor field hockey differs from its outdoor parent in a number of respects. For example, the players may not raise the ball outside the shooting circle, nor hit it.

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