A game of field hockey |Highest governing body||International
Hockey Federation| |Nickname(s)||Hockey, gras hockey| |First
played||19th century, England| |Team members||11 field players,
with 5 substitutes| |Equipment||Hockey ball, Hockey stick,
mouthguard, shinpads| |Olympic||1908, 1920, 1928–present| Field
hockey, usually referred to simply as hockey, is a team sport of
the hockey family which is played between two teams of eleven
players with hockey sticks and a hard, solid plastic ball. At
the turn of the 21st century, the game is played globally, with
particular popularity throughout Europe, Asia, Oceania, and
South America – in addition to being the national sport of
Pakistan. The term "field hockey" is used primarily in Canada,
the United States, and other regions of the world where the
sport of ice hockey is more popular. During play, goal keepers
are the only players who are allowed to touch the ball with any
part of their body (with the exception of a player's hand
considered 'part of the stick'), w