Hockey is the oldest known stick-and-ball game (apart perhaps from Irish hurling, which dates back to pre-historic times). Historical records show that games resembling modern field hockey were played in various ancient civilisations, although it is not possible to know exactly when and where the game began. While modern hockey appeared in the mid-18th century in England, primarily in schools, it was not until the first half of the 19th century that hockey became firmly established, the first club being created in 1849 at Blackheath in south-east London.
In the early 1970s, artificial turf fields began to be used in competition. The introduction of synthetic pitches instead of grass ones has completely changed most aspects of hockey. The game, as well as the material used to play, has taken a definitive turn, gaining mainly in speed. In order to take into account the specificities of this surface, new tactics and new techniques have been developed, often followed by the establishment of new rules to take account of these techniques.
The game is played between two teams of eleven players on a 100 x 60 yard (91.4m x 55m) rectangular field. At each end, there is a goal 7 feet (2.14m) high and 12 feet (3.66m) wide. There is a semi-circle 16 yards (14.63m) from the goal known as the "arc", or "shooting circle", with a dotted line 5 yards (5m) from the semi-circle. There are also lines across the field 25 yards (22.9m) from each end-line and in the centre of the field. A spot, called the penalty spot, is placed 7 yards (6.4m) from the centre of each goal.
