A crude form of field hockey was invented by the ancient Egyptians using curved sticks and balls about 4, 000 years ago. Hurling was first played before 1272 B.C. and there are references to it in ancient Greece in the year 500 B.C. The word hockey was first used in the Galway Statutes in the year 1527. Many European countries in the ancient times did play games that had similar rules as modern field hockey. Hockey, as we know it now, developed in the early 19th century from a game played in English public schools.
The first hockey club in England was established at Blackheath, which is located in southwest London, in 1849. Members of the Middlesex cricket club played a form of hockey to keep themselves warm during the harsh winter season, which was the off-season for cricketers in those days. The original balls used were rubber cubes, and not the spheres we see today. Spherical balls and striking circles were concepts introduced by the Teddington Hockey Club. The first international hockey match between Ireland and Wales was played in 1886 (Ireland won 3-0), nine years after the Hockey Association was formed, and the International Rules Board was set up in 1900.
The first hockey club in England was established at Blackheath, which is located in southwest London, in 1849. Members of the Middlesex cricket club played a form of hockey to keep themselves warm during the harsh winter season, which was the off-season for cricketers in those days. The original balls used were rubber cubes, and not the spheres we see today. Spherical balls and striking circles were concepts introduced by the Teddington Hockey Club. The first international hockey match between Ireland and Wales was played in 1886 (Ireland won 3-0), nine years after the Hockey Association was formed, and the International Rules Board was set up in 1900.
