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English public schools began playing a similar game to hockey in the early 19th century, using a rubber cube instead of a ball.
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Teddington Hockey Club modernized the game with a round ball and the introduction of the striking circle.
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British servicemen brought the game of field hockey to India and in 1885 the first clubs formed in Calcutta.
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The Hockey Association was founded in 1886.
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The first women's hockey club, Molesey Ladies, was founded in 1887. Women's field hockey grew rapidly around the world.
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The International Rules Board was founded in 1900.
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Field Hockey was first played in the olympics in 1908.
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Artificial turf was used, starting in the early 1970s. This changed the dynamics of field hockey because it increased speed. Unfortuanately, artificial turf was bad news for field hockey heavyweights Pakistan and India because it was too expensive, compared to wealthier European countries, and Australia, Germany and the Netherlands began to dominate.
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1980 was the first year that women's field hockey was an Olympic sport. The Netherlands, Germany and Austrialia are consistant leaders, as in men's field hockey.
