What Are The Positions In Hockey?

Interested in knowing some more information on our beautiful game? In this blog we will be covering the details of what positions there are in hockey, and other details such as how many people play in a team, what the hardest position on the pitch is, and what position you should play. 

How many people make up a hockey team? 

There are 11 players that make up a hockey team, 10 outfield players and 1 goalkeeper. There are also allowed to be up to 5 substitutes on the bench, allowing for a full squad of 16 players. 

What positions are there within a hockey team?

There are usually 3 outfield position lines within hockey (similar to football), defenders, midfielders and attackers. Defenders are the players that are there to prevent the other team scoring, although in hockey the forwards and midfielders are also expected to defend at all times. Midfielders are the engines of the team! Midfielders are expected to be up and down the pitch, creating goalscoring opportunities but also getting back to defend. Attackers are the main goal scorers, focusing on scoring the goals and also being the first line of defence. 

What is the hardest position to play in field hockey? 

This is a very subjective question due to there being lots of debate around what is the hardest position to play. We certainly have our top 3 though! 

3rd place: Centre Forward 

2nd place: Goalkeeper 

1st Place: Left Half (Wide defender) 

Centre Forward

Centre forward is a position that demands a lot of running! They are the front of the press (how the whole team defends) and they are expected to do lots of running to try and lead the press. Centre forwards are also expected to do most of the goalscoring so the pressure is on! 

Goalkeeper

We go from the front of the team.... to the last line of defence! Not only is the goalkeeper expected to stop shots and make amazing saves, but with the nature of hockey the ball being small and extremely hard, hockey goalkeepers must wear a lot of protective equipment to ensure their safety. Because of this, being mobile and quick can be difficult because of all of the equipment. Helmets, body armour, leg guards, hand protectors and much more! 

Left Half (Wide Defender)

We believe this is the hardest position on the pitch! It is the most common position for teams to target to try and win the ball back. Due to playing on the left side of the pitch you tend to be playing into the oppositions strong side (forehand side) so this makes it especially difficult to play in this position. And also being in the defensive lines means that lovely added pressure that if you lose the ball in that position the opposition isn't too far away from your goal! 

What position should I play in field hockey? 

We would always encourage people who are interested in playing hockey, should try every position possible. If you like having lots of touches of the ball and passing is your game then defence is a great start point. If you prefer to be the one creating chances higher up the pitch then midfield or forward line would be a great start point!