Leisure Kicks - The essencial sport and leisure guide

Long gone are the days where playing hockey meant standing in a muddy playing field in the freezing cold and driving rain.  In recent years much has been done to improve the experience and opportunities for everyone to play, from the youngest children to the most experienced adults.  The advent of artificial turf and a progressive approach to the evolution of the rules mean that hockey is now more enjoyable than ever before, whether you’re playing or watching.  There are nearly 1000 hockey clubs in England and with the recent launches of Back to Hockey and Rush Hockey it has never been easier to play hockey. 

In its most common form, a hockey match consists of two teams of 11 players competing to score more goals than each other by hitting, pushing, flicking or slapping a ball using a hockey stick.  Matches last 70 minutes, two periods of 35 minutes, and are most commonly played outdoors on artificial turf pitches.  Key skills include passing, tackling, carrying the ball (dribbling along the ground) and shooting.  Variations include indoor hockey, played on a wooden floor between teams of six players and in England, Rush Hockey.  Scaled down versions have been developed by the England Hockey Board in recent years to assist the development of young hockey players. 

Choose your sport

England Hockey’s Hockey Nation have hundreds of places to try the game