Why a Synthetic Hockey pitch?

The artificial surfaces of a synthetic hockey pitch give the players far extra handle of the ball. Coupled with elevated ball speed, hockey has come to be a extra promptly and far extra fascinating game.

A lot extra information on Field Hockey pitch and developing there of.

A hockey pitch is the playing surface for the game of field hockey. Historically, the game was played on all-organic turf (grass) but presently it is predominantly played on an artificial turf. The transition onto artificial pitches came in the course of the 1970s and was made mandatory for considerable competitions in 1976. All the lines, markings and target specifications are outlined by the International Hockey Federation in “The Suggestions of Hockey”.

All line markings on the pitch sort aspect of the area which they define. For instance, a ball on the side line is nonetheless in the field of play a ball on the line of the penalty circle is in the penalty circle a foul committed extra than the 23-metre (25-yard) line has occurred in the 23-metre area. A ball will have to entirely cross a boundary line to be out of play, and a ball will have to wholly cross the target line just ahead of a target is scored.

Due to the original formulation of the recommendations in England, the normal dimensions of a hockey pitch had been initially expressed in imperial units. The recommendations are now expressed explicitly in metric dimensions (thinking about the truth that 1998), even though the use of the imperial terms remains prevalent in some nations

Field of play on a hockey pitch

Colored pitches are applied to distinguish the field of play (green or blue) from the run-off (red/blue/yellow/orange/and so forth).

The hockey pitch is rectangular in shape. The longer perimeter edges are recognized as the side line, the opposing shorter edges are referred as the back line and the portion of this in among the target posts is recognized as the target line. The side line will have to measure 91.40 m and the back line will have to measure 55.00 m. There will have to be a minimum run-off of two m at the sidelines and 3 m at the backlines which may be a different surface for the final meter. All line markings will have to be white and 75 millimeters wide. In each and every and each corner of the pitch, a corner flag of no far extra than 300 mm square is attached to a post of height 1.20–1.50 m.

Historically, the pitch dimensions had been imperial and had been replaced by metric equivalents in 1998. The quite initial recorded recommendations represented what London clubs had been using at the time. Surbiton Hockey Club’s minutes from 1876 stated that pitches had been to be “100–150 yards (91–137 m) lengthy and 50–80 yards (46–73 m) wide”. Suggestions by the Hockey Association of England in 1886 specified “a single hundred yards lengthy by 55 to 60 yards (50 to 55 m) wide”.34 In 1905, the International Suggestions Board permitted the width of the pitch to be “up to 66 yards (60 m)” but this selection was reversed in 1909.5 In 1975, the present width of 60 yards was written into the recommendations.34

On artificial surfaces, the field of play will have to be coloured green, ultramarine blue or signal blue. It is permitted for the run-off portion of the pitch to be an selection colour. The London 2012 Olympics started a new trend for blue hockey pitches, for the cause that blue turf aids television viewers to clearly see the ball and markings on the hockey pitch in the course of gameplay. Not all hockey pitches have to be blue, but a yellow ball on blue turf is now the normal for specialist field hockey tournaments.

Objective

A hockey target at the 1960 Summer time time Olympics. The target is deeper at ground level with side and backboards about the base.

Targets consist of two upright posts placed equidistant from the center of the backline, joined at the prime by a horizontal crossbar. The inner edges of the posts will have to be 3.66 metres apart, and the lower edge of the crossbar will have to be two.14 metres (7 ft) above the ground. The goalposts and crossbar will have to be white and rectangular in shape with width 50 millimetres and a depth of 50 to 75 millimeters (.

The target will have to be at least 1.20 m deep at ground level and at least .90 m deep at crossbar level. The target area will have to be delimited at ground level by a target backboard and two sideboards of height 460 millimetres (18 in). Affixed to these boards, the posts and crossbar is a net to cease the ball.eight

Hockey nets can come in different dimensions primarily based on how deep at ground level and at crossbar level the target is. Frequent dimensions for a normal field hockey net are about 3.7m (W) x two.1m (H) x 1.2m (D).7

The quite initial hockey targets had been “7 feet (two.1 m) tall posts placed six yards (5.5 m) apart” but had been decreased to 4 yards (3.7 m) apart in the 1886 recommendations. In 1987, a rule was introduced so that at penalty corners “the quite initial hit at target will have to not cross the target-line higher than 18 inches (460 mm)”. This saw the introduction of a sideboard and backboard to the targets which are now mandatory.34

Circle

A view of the penalty circle (sturdy line), the broken circle 5 m from it, and the penalty spot.

A target is scored when the ball passes entirely extra than the target line but only if the ball was played by an offensive player in the penalty circle. On top rated of that, the circle marks the area a goalkeeper may play the ball with any aspect of his physique and the area specifically exactly where an infringement by a defender outcomes in a penalty corner. The terminology circle (or D) is extensively applied even though the area is in truth formed by a 3.66-metre (4 yd) straight line, parallel to the target line, connected to two 14.63-metre (16 yd) quadrant arcs.910

The 1876 recommendations stated that “no targets shall be permitted if the ball be hit from a distance of far extra than 15 yards (14 m) from the nearest goalpost”. A visible “striking circle” with “radius of 15 yards” was codified in 1886.34 The radius of the circle was elevated to 16 yards (15 m) in 1951 for men’s hockey and 1968 for women’s hockey.5 Any cost-free of charge-hit inside 5 m of the circle has slightly different recommendations from other people today with regards to other players’ distance a broken circle 5 m from the penalty circle denotes this spot.ten

A penalty spot is centrally positioned straight in front of the target and applied for a penalty stroke. The spot is 150 mm in diameter and its centre is six.475 m from the outdoors of the target line.ten Penalty strokes had been introduced in 1963 for deliberately stopping a specific goal3 they had been initially taken eight yards (7.3 m) from target. In 1973, a stroke could also be awarded for a deliberate foul in the circle and the spot was moved to 7 yards (six.4 m) from target the following year.5

Other markings

Simon Gougnard prepares to take a penalty corner from the ten m mark. The 5 m line above demarcates the closest position a defender may stand.

A half-way line, parallel to the back line, divides the pitch in two. The commence of each and every and each period of play and resumption of play following a target starts with all players in the half they are defending. The line was also applied for the obselete offside rule.3

Every single half of the pitch is then divided after extra by a line, referred to as the 23 metre line or 25 yard line, positioned 22.90 m11 from each and every and each back line. Historically, this was quite initial applied to resume play ideal right after the ball passed extra than the back line and marked by flags at the side of the pitch. In 1949, deliberate defensive offenses in this area resulted in a penalty corner. From 1961, players on the defensive group who had been not involved at the penalty corner stood behind this line (this was then moved to the half-way line two years later). The line was also applied for the offside rule in among 1987 till the rule was abolished in 1996.3 These days, there are detailed recommendations with regards to fouls and cost-free of charge-hits in the 23 metre location of the pitch.12 Thinking of the truth that 2015, the 23 metre line has also been applied for the attacking group to resume play when it has gone extra than the back line (this replaced lengthy corners).13

There are extra markings 300 mm lengthy and perpendicular to the back line that denote distances of ten m and 5 m from each and every and each target post. These are relevant at a penalty corner the former is the mark from which the attacking group calls for the penalty corner and the latter is the closest position which a defender may stand. These marks had been 5 and ten yards (4.six and 9.1 m) in earlier versions of the recommendations.3 There is a equivalent mark 5 m from along the side line (from specifically exactly where lengthy corners had been formerly taken) and a mark 14.six m along the side line indicating the level of the prime of the penalty circle. There are also 150 mm lengthy markings specifically exactly where the target posts are situated.14

Artificial playing surface

“artificial grass permits significantly less hard ball handle and this in itself aids to reduce the quantity of infringements of the rules—which suggests considerably significantly less whistle and fewer stoppages. The game therefore becomes significantly less hard to stick to, as effectively as finding a extra promptly spectacle and significantly far extra fascinating from a spectator point of view.”

Historically, the game was made on all-organic grass turf. Nonetheless, in 1976, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) made artificial pitches mandatory at all considerable competitions.17 The 1976 Summer time time Olympics in Montreal was the quite initial of these nonetheless at this time handful of players had noticed or played on synthetic pitches.18 Even even though it is nonetheless permissible to play on all-organic turf all national competitions and international matches will have to be played on an artificial surface.19 Elite-level competitions, such as the Olympic Games and Planet Cup, demand a water-mainly primarily based playing surface. Nonetheless, due to water conservation efforts, this is not noticed as a lengthy-term sustainable answer and selection elite surfaces that do not demand water are finding researched.20

There are three key types of artificial hockey pitch surface:

   • Unfilled or water-mainly primarily based – artificial fibers that are densely packed for stabilization, demands irrigation or watering to keep away from pitch place on

    • Dressed or sand-dressed – artificial fibers can be considerably significantly less densely packed and sand supports the fibers for aspect of the pile depth

    • Filled or sand-filled – artificial fibers can be longer and considerably significantly less densely packed and sand supports the fibers for a single hundred% of the pile depth

On water-mainly primarily based pitches, shorter fibers and wetted turf reduce friction and increase the speed at which the game can be played. Nonetheless, these pitches demand watering just ahead of, in the course of and ideal right after the game and upkeep expenditures are considerable.

Sand-dressed pitches cost far extra than sand-filled pitches but are preferable for hockey as there is an absence of sand close to the playing surface. Nonetheless, a multi-objective surface acceptable for sports such as association football and tennis is normally anticipated and hockey may not be the predominant sport. There are fairly a handful of different specifications and categorizations for artificial turf such as shock absorption, surface rebound, friction, and strength outlined by the International Hockey Federation.26 Lately, longer-pile third-generation or 3G pitches have come to be widespread, specially for football, but these do not frequently meet the FIH’s test criteria they are normally as nicely inconsistent and slow.27

Criticism

The Planet Hockey magazine reported on the quite initial hockey tournament played on an artificial pitch in 1975—a trial occasion in Montreal prior to the Olympics—and stated the surface had “huge added advantages”.1516 Steve Ruskin, of Sports Illustrated, stated that “A slow, analytical game gave way to a single of nonstop, correct-hop action.”28 Nonetheless, it has been stated that the selection to make artificial surfaces mandatory significantly favored far extra affluent Western nations who could afford these new pitches.29 Just ahead of the switch to an artificial surface the Indian men’s hockey group had been dominant, winning seven of the eight Olympic gold medals in among 1928 and 1964.28 In 1996, Indian hockey player Ajit Pal Singh stated that in spite of its size ” can afford only 12 or so Artificial Turf fields”.Sardara Singh, captain of the Indian men’s hockey group, stated that “hockey players in India play on astroturf [sic] for the quite initial time at the age of 19 or 20 and find it difficult to adapt.”29 Nonetheless, the Pakistan hockey group have performed effectively following the transform of surface in spite of the nation finding worse off economically and finding fewer artificial pitches.16 When describing the transform of surface, Ruskin stated that “for India it was like starting extra than, with all nations even in field hockey