Field Hockey Rules | Positions | Basics | How to Play

Overview of Field Hockey

Many nations enjoy the game of hockey worldwide. Australia, Belgium, India, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Great Britain are a few of the best hockey-playing nations. Hockey was reinstated at the Olympics in 1928 and is the pinnacle of the sport, however, the Hockey World Cup occurs every 4 years. Check out the live world standings. This blog will tell you all the field hockey rules.

The Objective and Rules of Field Hockey

The objective of the game is to use your hockey stick to score a goal in your opponent’s goal, whilst simultaneously defending your goal. If the ball goes into a goal, a point is awarded to the team who scored. At the end of the game, the team with the most points is deemed the winner, and if the points are the same it is a tie.

The Positions

A team consists of 11 players on the field, including one goalkeeper. Most hockey teams have a squad of 18 players, including two goalkeepers. There are many positions in the game however, defender, midfielder, and striker are the main positions. Midfielders can be attack or defensively-minded and will vary from team to team depending on the structure they are playing. 

The Hockey Pitch

Field hockey is historically a very old game – check out this article about the history of field hockey. However, since the game was popularised in 1886, the units of measurement are in yards.

For some clarity…

1 yard =

• 0.91 metres
• 3 foot
• 36 inches

The pitch measures 60 yards in width and 100 yards in length. There are two 25-yard lines and a halfway line, going across the width of the field. There are rules associated with these lines. There is a goal that is 4 yards wide at each end, belonging to each team.

There is a 16-yard line (aka the Circle, or the D) surrounding the goal, and this is the only area of the field from which players are allowed to take a shot. The ball will be turned over if a goal is made beyond the 16-yard line. 

A player commits a foul when they deliberately block another player, touch the ball with their body, play dangerously, or use their stick carelessly or recklessly. An opponent’s squad receives a free hit or penalty corner for committing a foul.

The Equipment

The players hit a hard plastic spherical ball with dimples so it doesn’t sway in the wind. Brands make different types of balls but the best one and regarded as the ‘international standard’ is the Kookaburra Dimple Elite. This is because their core is constructed by different layers of materials, as opposed to other balls where they are empty, resulting in breakages over time.

The players use a hockey stick to dribble, hit and push the ball. These hockey sticks used to be made out of wood, however, today they are made up of a composition mixture balance between carbon fibre, fibreglass, aramid, and resin.

Depending on the position of the player these balances change from stick to stick, including different shapes, and moulds with different bows – tailored to a specific type of game style!

For example, a striker who needs to hit the ball may need more carbon fibre as this is stiff, giving a more powerful shot. 

A midfielder may need a softer stick for dribbling and to control the ball better before passing, meaning less carbon fibre and more fibreglass.

Only right-handed hockey sticks exist, to make the game more even, however, you can still play left-handed if you wanted to. Players must use the flat side (not the other rounded side) to hit and play the ball, a foul is given if this is the case. 

Other equipment includes mouth guards (aka gum shields), shin pads, gloves (left hand only), and protective eyewear. For more information check out these other blogs.

Other equipment players use are shoes, clothing, stick grips, under-clothing wear, gloves, goalkeeper equipment, socks, under-socks, shorts/skirts padded hip protectors, ankle protectors, protective eyewear, sweatbands, stick bags, 

In the penalty corner, defence players use face masks, large protective gloves, and knee pads.

Goalkeepers are the only exceptions where they can have excessive protective equipment. A typical hockey goalkeeper kit will have the following protective equipment: 

• Box
• Protective leg/thigh pads
• Kickers (shoes)
• Leg guards (shin pads)
• Chest 
• Arms
• Left and right gloves
• Throat protector
• Helmet 
• stick

The Field Hockey Rules of The Scoring Process.

Players must score within the 16-yard (the Circle) into their opponent’s goal. The ball must cross in between all the posts and cross the line in full (the whole ball) for it to count as a goal. 

If the ball goes into the goal and no player from the striking team touched the ball (with their stick) inside the circle then it is considered a 16-yard free hit for the defending team.

Goals can be scored 1 of 4 ways…however, only three types of goals can be scored in regulation time (i.e. shootouts can only be scored after the time is up).

1. Regular ‘field goal’
2. Penalty corner (aka short corner, PC)
3. Penalty stroke (aka stroke)

Penalty corners can be given for a foul inside the circle. 4 players plus 1 goalkeeper lined up on their goal line and the attacking team set up with 1 player on the 10-yard mark on the weather side of the goal.

The player on the 10-yard mark (aka injector, dragger, puller, push) pushes the ball anywhere outside the 16-yard circle, only when the ball has passed the 16-yard line, then the attack can have a shot at goal… by bringing it inside the circle.

The hit at goal during a PC must be below the backboard (of the goal) when it crosses the line, otherwise, a push (aka a drag-flick, flick) can go anywhere in the goal.

A Stroke is awarded when a player deliberately fouls a striker in the circle or accidentally stops a clear goal-scoring opportunity. A stoke is conducted between 1 striker and 1 goalkeeper. The striker must only push the ball into the goal from the designated 7-yard spot on the pitch. The goalkeeper must be touching the goal line with their feet.

How to Win

To win the game of field hockey you must have the most goal when regulation time ends. There are 4 quarters, each 10 minutes long with 2-minute rest between quarters 1 & 2 and 3 & 4, and a 5-minute rest at half time. This rule was introduced in 2019 to replace a 70-minute game with two halves to speed up the game.

By the end of time and both teams have equal points/goals, the game will end as a draw. In some cases, this is where a shootout can occur – typically used at tournaments such as the Olympic Games and Hockey World Cup. 

Shootouts are between 1 player and the opposing goalkeeper, similar to ice hockey. Starting at the 25-yard (the quarter line), the striker has 8 seconds to put the goal past the goalkeeper. This is the best out of 5 shootouts and goes to a ‘sudden death’ if still tied up, whereas it’s a best out of 1.

The Basic Field Hockey Rules

• Players must use the flat side of their hockey sticks
• Goalkeepers can only play the ball with their stick when they are outside the circle
• Goalkeepers cannot cross the halfway line.
• Substitutions can be made at any time during the game but must occur at the designated substitution area on the sideline.
• Penalty cards are used as disciplinary tools for the umpire for serious fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct to take control of the game.
  • Green card – 2-minute suspension
  • Yellow card – 5 or 10-minute suspension, depending on severity.
  • Red cards – ejected from the game.
• Players cannot use their feet, or any other body part (apart from goalkeepers)
• Hockey is a non-contact sport and any deliberate physical contact not in the ‘spirit of the game’ will result in a foul
• There are two umpires on the pitch standing opposite each other who are responsible for their half.

Field Hockey Rule Amendments

Field hockey rules are amended from time to time by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to improve the safety of the players and the fairness of the game. Some of the recent amendments include:

Self-pass: The 2019 amendment allows a player to take a free hit or a sideline hit to themselves, allowing them to pass the ball to themselves without needing to pass to a teammate first.

Match duration: In 2019, the FIH reduced the duration of the game from 70 minutes to 60 minutes to improve the speed of the game.

Penalty corner: The 2019 amendment allows the attacker to take a shot at goal after only touching the ball once, rather than twice, during a penalty corner.

Green card: In 2016, the FIH introduced the green card, which is a temporary suspension that lasts for two minutes.

Removal of Offside Rule: In 2014, the offside rule was removed from field hockey, which means that attacking players are no longer required to have defenders between themselves and the goal when the ball is played.

40-second time limit: In 2015, a 40-second time limit was introduced for taking penalty corners to speed up the game.

Yellow Card Suspension: In 2017, a new rule was introduced where a player receiving a second yellow card in a match will receive an automatic suspension for the remainder of the game.

Goalkeeper Equipment: In 2018, new regulations were introduced for goalkeeper equipment, including mandatory chest protectors, leg guards, kickers, and helmets.

Penalty Shoot-Outs: In 2019, the rules for penalty shoot-outs were changed, allowing players to take a shot from anywhere within the shooting circle, rather than from a set position on the 23-meter line.

For more comprehensive rules about field hockey visit the FIH Rulebook or the Olympic article.