Hockey in Ancient History

Ancient drawings from about 2000 BC depict men playing a hockey-like game in Egypt. There were also traces of similar sports played by Persians, Ethiopians, even Romans, centuries before Christ. In the Middle Ages, hockey-like games were popular across Europe and were called by varying names in England, the Netherlands, France and Scotland. Then in the early 1800s, a game now called hockey was played in English public schools. In 1849, the first Hockey club, Blackheath, came about in south London.

Modern Hockey

In the 1870s, Middlesex cricket clubs who were looking for an alternative to football as winter exercise began playing a stick game using a cricket ball and some football rules. They began defining rules for their games a few years later. In 1886, the Hockey Association was formed by seven clubs, including Blackheath. The late 19th century saw the game growing rapidly popular throughout the British Empire, thanks to the British Army. The first international competition and the founding of the International Rules Board happened in 1895. And in 1908, hockey became part of the Olympic Games.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH)

When hockey failed to make it to the program of the 1924 Paris Games, Paul Leautey convened some European national federations and formed an internal body to govern hockey, the Fédération Internationale de Hockey sur Gazon. Starting with Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Spain and Switzerland, the FIH was joined by Denmark in 1925, The Netherlands in 1926 and Turkey in 1927. Germany, Portugal, Poland and India joined the organization in 1928.

The IFWHA, or the International Federation of Women's Hockey Associations was established in 1927 with Australia, England, Denmark, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, South Africa, and the United States as founding members.


Hockey Today

Today, hockey is played at amateur and professional levels in many countries throughout the world. It's not only a men's game; there's also women's hockey now. It's not only still popular in Europe; it's a big game in North America. With the establishment of the International Hockey Federation or FIH in 1924, the game has cemented itself as part of the modern array of sports with ancient roots. At present, the FIH has 118 member associations across five continents. With a professional league like the National Hockey League or NHL in North America, players looking toward a professional career are assured of a niche.