Hockey Pitches

For this weeks post I have decided to talk about hockey pitches as it is important to know the surface on which hockey is played on.




© Copyright Duncan Gray and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Hockey matches used to be played on natural turf surfaces for example turf however nowadays they are played on artificial turf surfaces.This change was made in the 1970's when the International  Hockey Federation made it mandatory for all important matches to be played on artificial turf surfaces. These include any national and international matches. These changes were said to have been made by the FIH in order to allow the ball to move easier and therefore helping the flow of hockey matches.

There are two main types of pitches on which hockey is play: a sand based pitch and a water based pitch. The sand based pitch is the cheaper option however the water based pitch is the widely more preferred option. This is because it is regularly watered by sprinklers hidden underneath the surface of the pitch. This prevents the pitch from being too dry. It also wets the turf and has shorter fibers which allow the ball to move faster. The water based pitch allows the game of hockey to be played at a faster pace and usually high quality. However the constant watering of the pitch adds to the high cost of water based pitches. For elite competitions, such as the World Cup and the Olympic games, a water based pitch is mandatory. Researchers are currently looking for a new kind of surface to play hockey on as the high levels of water used is not sustainable for future generations.

                  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6S7h90YvJCwNLArZzg_DIQ

 TigerTurf Asia Pacific - Synthetic Sports Turf Specialists

A hockey pitch is rectangular in shape. It must be 100 yards ( 91 m) in length and 60 yards ( 55 m) in width. The length of the pitch is marked by a sideline which runs from end to end, while the width is marked by an end-line/ a baseline which runs from side to side. These markings are always done in white. On a hockey pitch there are also three lines which run from side to side of the pitch. On of these is the halfway line which marks the halfway point of the pitch. The other two are the 23 yard lines at either end. There is one at each end of the pitch .Finally there are two penalty circles at each end of the pitch. These are also known as the 'D' because of its D shape. This marks the area from where the players can shoot from. Inside each circle or 'D', there is a goal. The goal consists of two standing posts that are joined together at the top by a crossbar and are attached together at the bottom by a backboard. Lastly there is also a small white circle inside each 'D' found just in front of the goal. This is the penalty spot where a penalty stroke is taken from. 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hockey_field_metric.svg 

I hope that this all made sense to you and I hope that you enjoyed reading my post. The next one will be out very shortly.
Thank you for reading