A SHORT HISTORY OF FIELD HOCKEY...
The game of hockey that we know today originated in nineteenth century England. The modern game was further developed by Teddington Cricket Club who took the game up as they wanted something to play in the winter. From 1871-1874 Teddington Cricket Club experimented and began to formulate rules.
In 1886 the Hockey Association was formed by seven London clubs. However most of the clubs could not agree on rules and formulated their own. The game soon reached all English territories of the time, predominantly India and Pakistan; India soon introduced the Beighton Cup and Aga Khan tournament. Hockey did not appear in the Olympics until the 1908 London Olympics, three teams competed, England, Scotland and Ireland.
Women’s hockey developed a little separately to men’s, women first played only in British schools and universities. The first women’s hockey club Molesey was formed in 1887. Due to women’s hockey taking off the International Federation of Women’s Hockey Association was formed in 1927; it wasn’t until 1948 that the British Hockey Board was formed. By the early 1970’s there were twenty two associations with women’s sections in the Federation of International Hockey and thirty six associations with the International Federation of Women’s Hockey Association, women however did not get introduced into the Olympics until 1980.