2021 Olympics fan guide: Everything you need to know about field hockey

A staple of the Summer Olympic Games, field hockey will bring you non-stop action and the same drama, intensity and physical play you might find in soccer or ice hockey

Hockey is such a fun and intense sport, filled with some of the most excitement and drama that you can find among sports around the globe.

Unfortunately, hockey is more associated with wintertime. It’s July, and the Stanley Cup Final is already over. But for those who need a hockey fix now, field hockey at the 2021 Summer Olympics should be able to give you similar energy and action. Just not so much the ice.

Field hockey was first played at the Summer Olympics in 1908, then again in 1920, and then again in 1928, and it’s been a staple of the Summer Games since. Women’s Olympic field hockey was first introduced on the Olympic level in 1980.

The 2021 field hockey events will take place from July 24 through Aug. 6 at Oi Hockey Stadium.

2021 Olympics: What are the rules? How is field hockey different from ice hockey?

For starters, obviously, field hockey isn’t played on ice and there’s no skating around. Instead, the field is a pitch, similar to that of a soccer field, with either artificial or natural grass.

Each team is allowed to have 11 players on the pitch at one time, which includes a goalkeeper. Five players remain on the bench, with unlimited substitutions able to be made.

A free hit of the ball is awarded to a team when a foul is committed against one of its players. If the ball unintentionally goes out of bounds during play, the opposing team is awarded a long corner.

If the ball is hit out of bounds intentionally, or if a foul occurs within the striking circle, but does not prevent a goal, a penalty corner is awarded. A penalty corner can also be given if a foul occurs within the 23-meter area — even outside the striking circle — or if a defender touches the ball with his/her feet or gets lodged in the defender’s clothing in the striking circle.

While field hockey matchups are usually known to be two 35-minute halves, the Olympic field hockey matchups will be held with four 15-minute quarters as some international matchups have consisted of over the last several years.

And, like soccer and hockey, if a foul is committed that prevents the other team’s goal-scoring chance, a penalty shot is awarded.

The team with the most goals at the end of regulation wins, or a draw is declared if the two teams are even in goals. In the event of an elimination game ending in a tie, a penalty shootout — again, similar to that seen in hockey or soccer — determines the winner.

2021 Olympics: Who are the teams and athletes to know for field hockey?

India for the longest time had dominated the men’s competition. They currently have the most men’s gold medals (eight) and total medals (11) in men’s field hockey Olympic history. India, however, hasn’t placed fourth or higher since winning the gold in the 1980 Olympics.

Pakistan, Great Britain and Germany all have three gold medals each. Britain is also tied with Australia and the Netherlands for second-most total men’s field hockey medals with nine each. Germany won gold in 2008 and 2012, as well as bronze in 2004 and 2016.

The leader of India’s roster is midfielder Manpreet Singh, who has captained the national team since 2017. A member of the national squad since 2011, this will be his third trip to the Olympic Games. He’s been on the 2014 team that won gold in the Asian Games and the 2017 team that won gold at the Asia Cup.

Britain will be led by defender Adam Dixon, who was a member of the 2016 Olympic squad. Dixon won gold representing England at the 2009 EuroHockey Championship and was a member of the 2014 and 2018 teams that won bronze at the Commonwealth Games. Dixon was named the Hockey Writers’ Club Player of the Year in 2013.

Germany’s captain and most experienced player is defender Tobias Hauke, who was a part of the 2008 and 2012 gold-medal-winning squads and the bronze-winning team in 2016. He’s been a piece of Germany’s national squad for over 15 years and over 300 national matchups, with additional golds in the EuroHockey Championship, Hockey Champions Trophy tournament and indoor hockey Indoor World Cup to show for it.

One of Australia’s two captains will be defender Eddie Ockenden, previously a member of the bronze-medal-winning squads in 2008 and 2012. Ockenden, who has played hockey for nearly his entire life, is a decorated competitor, with multiple Commonwealth Games, World Cup and Oceania Cup golds, as well as seven Champions Trophy victories.

The Netherlands men’s team is led by midfielder Billy Bakker, who was a member of the Olympic team that claimed silver in 2012. He’s been a part of three EuroHockey Championship gold-medal teams, including the 2021 title.

The Netherlands is the biggest force on the women’s side, with eight total medals, including three gold. Team Netherlands has medaled in every women’s Olympic field hockey event with the exception of 1980 and 1992.

Argentina has won two silver and two bronze medals but has yet to claim gold. Australia, like the Netherlands, has three gold medals, but those are Australia’s only women’s field hockey medals. Germany and Great Britain also have three women’s medals each, with Britain claiming gold in 2016.

Leading the Dutch women will be midfielder Eva de Goede, who currently plays for Amsterdam HC, the oldest field hockey club in the country. De Goede was a member of the 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold-winning teams and recently won her fourth European championship. She also has been a part of two World Cup and three Championship Trophy-winning teams.

Argentina’s captain is defender Noel Barrionuevo, who won bronze with her country in 2008 and silver in 2012. Barrionuevo was a part of squads that won gold at the Pan American Games in 2007 and 2019, as well as the 2010 World Cup championship team. She has earned six Champions Trophy titles.

Attacker Emily Chalker is the most experienced player on the Australian team and one of the more dangerous, with over 80 goals to her name in international play. She has Olympic experience, competing on the 2012 team while still just a teenager. Chalker, who plays for NSW Arrows, was a part of the team that won the Oceania Cup in 2017. She was on the team that took silver at the World Cup in 2014.

Midfielder Franzisca Hauke, who currently plays for Harvestehuder THC, will be the player to watch for Germany. Hauke played on the German team that won bronze in 2016 and won silver at the European Championship in 2019 and 2021, as well as a gold medal at the Indoor World Cup in 2018.

Finally, Hollie Webb will be returning from the 2016 championship British squad. In fact, it was Webb who scored the winning penalty that gave her country the Olympic gold. Webb represented England in the Commonwealth Games twice, winning silver in 2014 and bronze in 2018. She was a member of the 2015 European Championship team, also claiming silver in 2013 and bronze in 2017.

2021 Olympics: The elevator pitch for field hockey

As referenced earlier, you can see elements of ice hockey and soccer in field hockey. And if you enjoy one of those sports, you most certainly would enjoy this one, too.

There’s little pausing of the action in field hockey. There’s a lot of running back and forth as teams battle for possession of the ball. And when the action does come to a halt, it’s usually for something like a long corner or penalty corner, which can get quite intense depending on how close a team is to the opposing goal and the score of the game.

You’ll find that same high energy in field hockey fans that you do in other sports. And when a goal is scored and a game is won, the elation can be just beautiful.

Will one of the dominant forces of men’s and women’s Olympic field hockey be able to strike gold again? It should be a fun ride to the final.