Team GB has a rich history of field hockey success at the Olympics.

At Seoul in 1988, the men's squad won gold, beating West Germany 3-1 in the final including a brace from Imran Sherwani.

Team GB’s women won bronze in front of the home crowds at London 2012 and followed that with gold at Rio 2016, the first hockey gold won by the British women's team.

Now both the men's and women's teams are out for more hockey medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Team GB's top 5 Olympic events

Team GB Paris Olympics 2024 hockey schedule

Team GB's men's and women's hockey teams will feature in various pool games at the Paris Olympics in the hope of making it into the finals and playing off for a medal.

Men's pool games

  • v Spain (4-0) - July 27
  • v South Africa (2-2) - July 28
  • v Netherlands - July 30
  • v France - August 1
  • v Germany - August 2

Women's pool games

  • v Spain (1-2) - July 28
  • v Australia - July 29
  • v South Africa - July 31
  • v United States - August 1

If you are unfamiliar with the rules of hockey, here is a quick rundown to get you up to speed.

How many players are on a field hockey team?

There are 11 players on a field hockey team, consisting of 10 outfield players and one goalkeeper on the pitch at any one time.

Outfield players are categorised as defenders, midfielders and attackers with a maximum of five substitutes to be used on a rolling basis.

Defenders are commonly categorised as fullbacks, wingbacks, centrebacks and sweepers, whilst the attackers are called inside forwards, wingers and centres.

The goalkeeper is the only player allowed to touch the ball with their body and will wear protective gear.

Great Britain's Olympic legacy

How long are quarters in a field hockey match?

Each field hockey match is 60 minutes made up of four quarters of 15 minutes.

There is a break of two minutes after the first and third quarter and a half time break of 15 minutes between the second and third.

What is a foul in field hockey?

A foul can be conceded in several ways in field hockey:

  • When a player uses the rounded edge (back) of the stick and not the flat end
  • Using the stick in an intimidating or uncontrolled way
  • Undercutting or raising the ball dangerously above knee height outside of the goal area
  • Charging or pushing an opponent
  • Deliberately hitting the ball into an opponent
  • The ball hitting a player's foot/leg outside of the circle

What is a green card in field hockey?

A green card is shown when a minor offence has occurred, leading to a two-minute suspension for the player.

If a second green card for the same player is given, the umpire will follow up with a yellow card leading to a five-minute suspension.

What is a short corner in field hockey?

A penalty corner, or a short corner is awarded when a player commits a foul within the circle, or if there is a severe offence outside the circle.

The ball is placed 10m from the goalpost on the backline with one player taking the corner, with the rest of the team on the edge of the circle.

Five defending players can defend the goal, only allowed to run out of the goal once the corner has been taken.

To score from a penalty corner, a player must stop the ball outside the circle and take it in to shoot.

Can you shoot from outside the area in field hockey?

No. Any goal that originates from outside the semi-circle does not count.

How do penalties work in field hockey?

A penalty stroke is awarded when an opponent commits an intentional foul inside the opponent's attacking 25 or shooting circle.

It is taken by a single player from a spot inside the circle with the rest of the team beyond the 25-yard line.

When the umpire blows the whistle, the player may push or flick the ball into the goal whilst the goalkeeper attempts to save.

What happens if there's a draw in hockey?

If a knockout game of hockey finishes in a draw, the game will enter two five-minute periods of overtime with a one-minute break between each.

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If no team has scored, a penalty shootout occurs.

Five players per side will take a seven-metre running penalty to decide the winner, with a final sudden death round until one team scores.

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