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With records dating back to Persia as early as the year 2000 BC, hockey is the earliest known ball and stick game to exist. Stained glass windows found in medieval Europe depict men playing a game with hooked sticks that resemble hockey sticks. Further evidence for this sport is found in ancient Greece, from the embossed base of a statue naming the game Kritizein.

The name Hockey probably comes from the French word hocquet, or the shepherd’s crooked stick. In England, the popularity of this sport was such that it was actually banned for a time to allow for the practice of archery, important for national defense to thrive!

Practices were standardized and developed in Britain towards the end of the 18th century, paving the way for the spread of Hockey as a sport in the late 19th century. The first Hockey club was considered to be the Blackheath Football and Hockey Club in London.

Due to its early evolution, most of the sport’s major players were members of the British Empire, and its colonies such as, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and of course England. Hockey first made its Olympic debut in 1908 in London. India dominated the sport for three decades, winning all six Olympic gold medals and 30 consecutive games from 1928 to 1956!