Australia win men’s field hockey World Cup
Power-packed Australia proved third time lucky as they won the men’s field hockey World Cup after a 24-year hiatus with a 2-1 win over defending champions Germany on Saturday.

Read more on AFP via Yahoo! News

Twenty two players-eleven on each side-struggling with one ball to keep it under their control in which game can you discover this situation?

Well, I know 99% answers will be football. Sorry, I meant Hockey. This is also a game that in most part follows the same rules as football, only here the ball is played with the stick and not the feet of the players. The rest is almost same you find 11 players in each team that includes a Goalkeeper, Defenders, Midfielders and Attackers. In hockey, the goalkeeper is the only player on the field who is allowed to use the feet and hands as well as the stick.

Today, hockey is played all over the world. But there are not too many countries in the world where hockey is hugely popular. England is among those few countries where hockey is played with great enthusiasm. This is only natural as the British Empire is the birth place of modern hockey. Though the genesis of hockey may be traced back in a few ancient civilizations of the world, it was not until mid 1800’s that this game was revived and added with modern features in England. At first hockey kicked off as an alternative to football to keep the cricketers busy during the season of winter. Still in England, the hockey season continues from September to May.

Here are some interesting facts about this age old game:

-Just like the cricket, hockey spread like wildfire all through the British Empire and the colonies took up the game with the patronization from their colonial masters. This explains why the countries like India, Pakistan and Australia (one time British colonies) occupy respectable places in the world hockey map.

-Today, field hockey is played all over the world by a number of countries and this makes hockey the second largest team sport in the world, after football.

-The first Men’s international Hockey match was held between England and Ireland on March 1895 at Richmond Hockey Club. England team emerged as the winner making a 5-0 score.

-The first official women’s international hockey match took place in Dublin on 2nd March 1896. This time also there were two traditional contenders England on one side and Ireland on the other. But this time luck was with the opposite side with the Emerald Isle winning the match by 2-0 score.

-Men’s hockey was first introduced in the London Olympics in the year, 1908. But it took seventy two more years to include the women’s hockey in the Olympics; women’s game was introduced to the Olympics as late as in1980.

• Lightweight wooden construction with Slazengers unique Fibre Reinforcement system
• The perfect introductory range
• Shortie head for all round skill development
• Reinforced wrap
• PU grip
• To determine the length required measure from the floor to the top of the hip.

Product Description
The Icon range features a lightweight wooden construction that ensures that this range is perfect as an introductory range for players looking to learn the game. Engineered with Slazengers unique fibre reinforcement system for durability power and control.Features a Laminated Shortie Head for learning skills and a reinforced wrap with for response and durability.PU grip ensures a comfortable feel.

Slazenger Ikon 3 32 ” Hockey Stick

Ice hockey has been around since 1800, when it was called “Hurley on ice” up in Nova Scotia. However, the game was played on frozen over ponds. There was no such thing as an ice hockey rink. It was something that didn’t occur until 1875, which was when the first organized indoor game of hockey was played. This happened in Montreal at the Victoria Skating Rink. And then it was 1893 when the first Stanley Cup was won, so hockey definitely has quite the amazing history.

But there is a business that has taken off throughout the years and that is ice hockey arena rentals.

The ice hockey arena rental business consists of the ice hockey arena renting out their space for individuals and groups to enjoy some skating time.

When did ice hockey arena rentals begin?

The truth is that it is hard to say when the ice hockey arena rental business began. Back in the late 1800s when there were more than 100 ice hockey teams in Montreal alone, most of them were skating on frozen ponds and lakes. Nevertheless, some of these teams began actually playing rather large tournaments, hence the first Stanley cup in 1893. Since there was a shortage of ice hockey rinks, it is fair to say that the indoor rinks that were established were renting out their spaces. It is also possible that rentals began before that in the pond and lake days because many of these ponds and lakes resided on private property. The owners were not going to let these individuals use their property for nothing, so they most likely let them use it at a cost. This is when everyone on the teams would pull in their money to pay the owner so that they could use their property for the day.

It is really hard to say exactly when ice hockey arena rentals began because there are no official records to go by. Many of the owners would rent based on their own discretion and would just let it go from there. However, it is fair to say that this is something that has been occurring for quite some time.

Modern day ice hockey arena rentals

Now you can rent virtually any ice hockey arena for a price. They are not cheap, but you can rent them to practice if you are into figure skating, if you just want to have fun with your friends, or if you want to have an ice skating event.

For instance, many companies may have ice hockey teams and they will play the ice hockey teams of other companies. When they do this, they need the entire arena staff to help them conduct their game because there will be people watching. This also means operating the concession stands in many cases. This is a great way for the arena to make even more money and it is a great way to make a company look great to all of those who hear of and attend the event.

So although it is hard to tell how long ice hockey arena rentals have been going on, they are definitely a great thing. This means that you don’t just have to be on a professional hockey team to experience the rink. You can be anyone with the cash to rent the arena and give a lot of people a good time. So check with the ice hockey arena in your area and see if you can arrange something for your business, your church, or for personal use. The individuals at the ice hockey rink will quote you prices and you can take it from there.

Hey, check out these auctions:

Ice Hockey News Review - Volume 16 Issue 4

GBP 0.49 (0 Bid) End Date: Sunday Mar-14-2010 13:57:04 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Ice Hockey News Review - Volume 15 Issue 3

GBP 0.49 (0 Bid) End Date: Sunday Mar-14-2010 13:57:04 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list