The game of Hockey is played widely across the world. In England it is a popular family orientated sport, played mainly in clubs by both men and women. The game is well-liked in many schools, particularly in the independent sector and offers a lifetime of both sporting and social opportunities for players, officials and administrators alike.
Hockey or "field hockey" as it is also known (to differentiate it from ice hockey) is an 11-a-side game played on a pitch 100 yards by 60 yards (91.4 metres x 55 metres) with a ball which has a 23cm circumference. Each player has a stick with a rounded head to play the ball with the ultimate aim of scoring goals by putting the ball in the other team’s goal. Sticks are about a metre long and weigh between 340g and 790g.
The rules of hockey are very similar to the rules of football except that players must use sticks instead of their feet to play the ball. There are 11 players on a team made up of a Goalkeeper, Defenders, Midfielders and Attackers. The only player on the field who is allowed to use their feet and hands as well as their stick is the goalkeeper.
The season in England lasts from September until May.
Quicksticks is a brand new game for 7-11 year-olds which has been specifically designed to introduce the sport to teachers and students who have little or no prior knowledge of hockey.
The field of play is the size of a standard netball court and a team consists of six players; four outfield pitch players and two ‘officials’ (one manager/coach and one umpire). All players must rotate with the two official’s roles within the game...there are NO GOALKEEPERS in the game of Quicksticks! Played in three periods (so that all players have a go at playing, managing and umpiring), one game can last up to 30 minutes for 11 year-olds. At the lower end of the scale, games can last just over 20 minutes for 7-8 year-olds.