Field hockey regulations are extremely similar to soccer rules, except that players must play the ball with their sticks rather than their feet. A team of 11 players consists of a goalie, defenders, midfielders, and strikers. The goalkeeper is the only player on the field who is allowed to touch the ball with his or her hands.
Women's field hockey is played at the club level in Canada and by women's teams in the United States. In Europe, it is played at the national level by field hockey nations. At the international level, it is played by field hockey nations as part of the Olympic Games. Women's field hockey was introduced at the Olympics in 1976, just four years after men's field hockey was established at the 1972 Munich Games.
In Canada, the country's largest club, Montreal CC, has over 500 members. Field hockey is also popular among women in England, where Birmingham University Hockey Club is one of the most successful clubs in the country. In the Netherlands, there are several hundred players in the country's capital city, Amsterdam. In Germany, the number is estimated to be around 1,000. In Australia, field hockey is widely played by women in suburban Melbourne. In New Zealand, there are almost 6,000 registered players across all genders and age groups.
In the United States, women's field hockey is growing in popularity.
Hockey on the field
Characteristics | |
---|---|
Team members | 10 field players, 1 goal keeper |
Type | outdoor and indoor |
Equipment | Hockey ball, hockey stick, mouthguard, shin guards |
Presence |
Six participants Ice hockey is a sport played by two teams of six players each, who participate on an ice rink while wearing skates. The aim is to send a vulcanized rubber disk, known as a puck, beyond a goal line and into a net guarded by a goaltender, also known as a goalie. Teams alternate between offensive and defensive play.
There are actually seven players on a team in ice hockey, but one of them is not able to be seen by the referee or anyone else on the ice during gameplay (because he or she is behind the net). This player is called a "defenseman" or "defenceman", depending on which side of the ice he or she plays on. They help protect the net by hitting opponents with their arms and legs; additionally, they try to get the puck away from offensive players so that another defender can pick it up. There are three defensemen on each team, and they are assigned specific roles based on how they move the puck or hit other players. For example, a defenseman might be given the job of throwing his or her body in front of a shot from the point-blank range in order to prevent a goal.
The other six players on a team are referred to as forwards. They attempt to score goals by getting the puck past the goaltender and into the net. There are three forwards on each team, and they are assigned different jobs to help their team win games.
Differences between ice hockey and other sports First and foremost, there's the ice and cold. On a frictionless surface, the puck goes far quicker than the ball. Field hockey has 11 players on the field at the same time, but ice hockey only has 6. In addition, ice hockey is a "contact" sport that requires heavy equipment and hard blows to the body. Field hockey is more of a "skate" sport that can be played with just a ball or stick.
There are more girls who play ice hockey than field hockey. This is because ice hockey is more popular among boys. Also, ice hockey is more energetic than field hockey and so tends to attract younger players. Finally, ice hockey is easier to learn than field hockey and so tends to attract beginners.
The number of people who play ice hockey varies greatly depending on how you count them. The International Ice Hockey Federation estimates that 5 million people around the world play ice hockey. That's less than 1 percent of the population of the world. However, that doesn't take into account organized leagues or tournaments so the true figure may be much higher.
The most popular form of ice hockey in the world is Canadian ice hockey. There are more participants in the Canadian National Women's Hockey League than in all of Europe's professional women's leagues combined. In Canada, ice hockey is growing faster than any other sport.
The game is played between two teams of eleven players each. At any given moment, ten field players and one goalkeeper are authorized on the field. The remaining players can be replaced in any order. A team can sub in and out as many times as they choose. There is no limit to the number of players that can be used by either team.
The substitution system was introduced by the English footballer William Edward "Bill" Henderson (1860–1921) in 1877. He is regarded as the father of modern football because of this innovation.
Each team has a designated substitute who enters the game in place of one of their players. This player is removed from the field when he or she comes onto it and cannot return until the end of the half. If a player suffers an injury that requires replacement, then a replacement may also come on during the half.
There is no rule stating how long a player has to be off the field before they can be replaced, but substitutions are usually made in cases of injury or when the player is being punished for some form of bad behavior (such as kicking or punching another player).
In most countries, coaches are allowed to make substitutions at any time during the game. However, in some countries there is a limit on the number of substitutions that can be made in one period of time.
Bandy, field hockey, ice hockey, and rink hockey are all kinds of hockey. Most of the globe uses the name "hockey" to refer to field hockey, although Canada, the United States, Russia, and the majority of Eastern and Northern Europe use the phrase "ice hockey." Bandy is played on snow-covered fields using a curved stick and ball made from rubber or leather.
Field hockey is played on a field divided into squares by ropes or sticks called 'poles'. The team that scores the most goals wins. There are two ways to score: by hitting the ball through the net or over the crossbar, and by putting it in one of four boxes placed around the perimeter of the field. If the ball goes out of play for any reason other than through a goal, then play continues where it stopped.
Ice hockey is played on ice rinks that are usually built with an open center area that is about 105 feet (32 m) long and 65 feet (20 m) wide. Ice hockey lines up players perpendicular to the direction of the ice, instead of along its length as in soccer. There are two ways to score in ice hockey: by shooting a puck into the opposing team's net or across the line directly into your own net, and by penalizing opponents for minor infractions of the rules.