Field hockey is compete on gravel, natural grass, sand-based or water-based artificial turf, with atiny low, laborious ball more or less seventy three millimetre (2.9 in) in diameter. the sport is fashionable among each males and females in several elements of the planet, significantly in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Sjaelland and South Africa. In most countries, the sport is compete between single-sex sides, though they will be mixed-sex.

The organization is that the 116-member International Hockey Federation (FIH). toilet facility hockey has been compete at every summer Olympic Games since 1908 (except 1912 and 1924), whereas women's hockey has been compete at the Summer Olympic Games since 1980.

Modern hockey sticks ar J-shaped and created of a composite of wood, fiber or carbon fibre (sometimes both) and have a bowed hook at the taking part in finish, a flat surface on the taking part in aspect and bowed surface on the rear aspect. All sticks ar right-handed – left-handed sticks aren't allowable. whereas current hockey appeared in mid-18th century European country, primarily in faculties, it absolutely was not till the primary 1/2 the nineteenth century that it became firmly established.