Field Hockey is a team sport played by both men and women. It is an Olympic discipline as well. The actual name of the game is Hockey. But it is termed as field Hockey to differentiate itself from Ice Hockey. In some countries like the USA, the term Hockey is used for Ice Hockey. There has been evidence of a game similar to modern day hockey played in ancient Greece. There is also evidence of a game played with curved sticks and a ball in many countries including Egypt, Rome, Scotland, and Ireland. The native South Americans too had played a similar sport. Modern Hockey as a sport originated in England.  

Field hockey has been an Olympic sport since 1908. It is an immensely popular sport in many countries across the continents. It is a game played between two teams consisting of 11 players each. It is played with a curved stick and a small round ball. The object of the game is to push the ball into the opponents’ goal. The hockey stick is made from wood. The hockey ball is generally white in color. This ball is passed to the team members called attackers who try to hit the ball inside the goal. The defenders from the opposing team try to prevent the attackers from scoring the goal. The team that scores more goals is declared the winner. If the match ends with equal number of goals then it is called a drawn match. The duration of a normal Hockey game is 70 minutes with 2 equal halves of 35 minutes each. The rules of the game are similar to Soccer rules. It is played on a rectangular surface. For many years, the game of Hockey was played on a grass surfaces. But that has changed to artificial surfaces including astro turf. This has increased the pace at which the modern game is played. Grass surface had resulted in over reliance on individual dribbling skills. But astro turf forced the teams to rely more on teamwork. Modern hockey is all about physical fitness and stamina. India had been the Olympic champion for many years during the grass surface days. The Indians and the Pakistanis were known for their individual skills. But after the introduction of the new surface, it has become a power game more suited for westerners who has bigger physical built and more power.

The Olympic Games tournament and World Cup Hockey are the most prestigious Hockey tournaments in the world. Champions Trophy is an annual event where the top six Hockey teams vie for honors. Commonwealth Games and Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey tournaments are two more important tournaments for Hockey players around the world. The Indian field Hockey team dominated the Olympic hockey scene for close to 3 decades winning 6 Olympic gold medals during that period. Currently, teams like Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Korea, India, Pakistan are the top teams of the world.