note: the information contained in this page is subject to change and may contain some inaccuracies for which the author cannot be held responsible. It is suggested that this page should be read in conjunction with other more formal references. In case of discrepancies, other sources should be trusted more than this one….

Proposed deviation from European Field Hockey rules.

Please note that new rules are foreseen to take effect in the UK after :

  • 29th March 2019
  • 20th April 2019,
  • 12th April 2019 (to be confirmed)

These changes are predominantly corrections to the current standardised rules enforced from Europe and the majority of corrections will have little or no impact on teams, clubs or players.

Article 17.3:

All pitch dimensions will be converted to the nearest equivalent Imperial measurement. For example, goal widths will change from 3.66m to 12’.

The overall dimensions of the pitch have been subject to lengthy review and these new changes are a compromise. The end furthest South or the end furthest West shall have a width of 180 feet wide. The end furthest North or East shall be 181 feet wide.

Article 18.5

Old situation :

  • first half 35 minutes
  • second half 35 minutes

New situation :

  • first half 36.4 minutes
  • second half 33.6 minutes

Although this may seem negligible, the 52%, 48% split is seen to be very important and must be observed however ridiculous it may seem.

Article 50.1

Probably the most noticeable change will be that the UK will return to playing hockey on the left. When the rules are introduced, all players will have to purchase British Olympic Left Only Certified Kit Sticks. These are approved left handed sticks – please look for the BOLX label.

An example of a potential stick is shown in the figure below (note: reality may differ slightly from image shown below and manufacturers have the right to deny all knowledge of such a silly idea):

Rationale: All knights should know that swords are held in the right hand and therefore the correct way to hold a hockey stick is with the right hand placed at the top of the stick. The link to chivalry likewise applies to the correct side of the road to drive on (clearly the left so that you can wave your sword with your right hand) and the correct direction for stairs to twist (anti-clockwise as you are defending coming down stairs so that you can use your sword while the attacker coming up stairs is restricted by the support in the centre of the spiral).

Article 50.2

Please also note that the phases of the games shall also be slightly modified

Old situation

  1. First Half
  2. Second half
  3. Third half

New situation

  1. Third half
  2. First half (optional)
  3. Second half (unlikely)

Article 75.2

In the interest of avoiding gender restrictions, the last defender before the keeper will no longer be referred to as “last man” or “last woman” but shall now be known as “the backstop”.

Introduction and application of these changes

Application of these rule corrections may begin in March 2019
The precise date is To Be Confirmed.
Regrettably some delays have been reported. In particular there appears to be a great shortage of left handed sticks.
In the light of this we may either request a delay or just go ahead without formally agreeing on anything and see what happens.

Under discussion

Reversible Head Stick – One option under discussion is the possibility of having a stick with an exchangeable head enabling it to be used outside and inside Europe.

Comments and Feedback

<feedback> “please can you explain what this means for goal keepers?”

<response> Many thanks for your question. This has been passed back to the committee who have the following views:

Option 1) keepers remain playing right handed

Option 2) keepers also revert to left hand playing. Implication – keepers will also have to change to BOLX sticks and keepers gloves will be re-designed for left handed support.

Option 3) keepers can choose however field players with keeper’s privileges will have to play left handed.

Currently no decision has been made as no choice has a majority for the voting process.

 

<feedback> “what will this mean for international matches?”

<response> Clearly this will be further discussion however we believe this can be resolved before the new rules come into effect. A draft agreement has been discussed at length and just needs to be ratified. The draft can be summarised as following:

  1. single matches in the UK will be played under the new rules
  2. single matches in Europe will be played under EU rules
  3. tournaments will be played under the rules applicable to the host nation with the following notes
    a) UK teams playing in the EU but marked as the “home” team, may decide that the match should be played under UK rules.
    b) EU teams playing in the UK but marked as the “home” team may decide that the match should be played under EU rules.

 

<feedback> “out pitch straddles the EU boarder which rules apply?

<response> Many thanks for your enquiry however the committee believe that this should be clearly defined by the terms above so we advise you to read and apply these. Obviously play in the EU half of the field shall be played under EU rules and play in the UK half will be played under UK rules. As changing sticks from left to right handed and vice versa when crossing the half way line may be complicated, attackers and defenders should remain in the appropriate halves with the correct stick. The Alternative is to use the “Auto-Reverse” Stick (currently under development) that can switch from left to right at the push of the button on the end of the stick.