Field Hockey is a girls sport right? And what is netball?

[big ginger 8]

In Ireland hockey is generally seen as more of a girls sport. Not everyone would laugh at you but there are plenty of idiots who would.

Hurling is class it's even better when you go abroad and have to try explain it to foreignors.

 

[Nielsch]

well there's not really too many ice fields in the UK for ice hockey to be widespread, so hockey is more normally played here and it isn't considered a girls sport and not frowned upon

netball unlike hockey, is considered a girls sport here, it's a bit like basketball apart from you're not allowed to move when you have the ball, and movements are restricted by what position you play in (eg the defender is not allowed outside the first third of the pitch, and the striker not allowed into it)

There's only one sport in the Netherlands which is frowned upon (and rightly so); it's called Korfbal and it looks a bit like Netball except they play with mixed teams.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Field Hockey isn't really a girly sport, not to the same extent as Netball

no men or boys would be embarrassed to say they played hockey, unlike how they would if they said they played Netball, Synchronized Swimming, Cheerleading, Yoga, Aerobics



it's too easy to score in Basketball, when your team scores a try in rugby or scores a goal in football you are generally delighted, when it is basketball it is just mildly amusing

it is also size-ist, I'm 5 foot 6 or 7, and it rules out most people under 6 foot 6, so most people have no chance of playing

still better than Netball though, (which they make boys play at school)



doesn't look that easy to watch, just searched it on YouTube and the ball is quite hard to see at times, would be even harder at the top of a stand surely

looks quite fun to play though

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YaxcYB-L_VE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

Nah, tis grand to watch. It's just blurry youtube videos make seeing the ball a bit difficult. Fine on TV.

 

[Canucks]

Field hockey is a very popular sport in the Netherlands, for both men and women. I like watching it (not as much as rugby bet a helluva lot more than soccer or any North American sport for that matter).

I live in a university city and you see hockey players EVERYWHERE on Sunday (match day). The sport is EXTREMELY popular under students but there's also a huge participation at the youth levels.

There's a whole professional competition and especially the good hockey players make a great living by doing what they do. I think they earn more than the average professional English male rugby player (even the top women hockey players).

So no, they're definitely not frowned upon over here.

Canada has a men's hockey team. They played at the World Cup in 2010 but got their asses handed to 'em every match. Korea even managed to win 9-2. They're like the Namibia of hockey.

I went to the final of the 1998 Hockey World Cup at Galgenwaard Stadium in Utrecht which was pretty cool. 25.000 people in the stadium. Not too bad.

I'm sure there are nuances I don't understand but that looked like a soft game. Twice one of the white players checked one of the Orange guys and had to give it right back? Are you not allowed to check someone?

Say I was a defender, how would I get the ball from you in a legal fashion? Why was that ummmmm..... free shot given? Are you not allowed to blocks shots with your body? And why is that goalie so bad, he looked like an 80s NHL goalie.

Please forgive me as I am truly ignorant of the sport and I am only asking tough questions because I'm trying to understand the game. I used to bug people about cricket and now that I understand it, I enjoy it....a little.

In terms of Canada, we're only world number 1 in Ice hockey, Roller Hockey, and Ball hockey. We'll give you guys field hockey and bandy, how's that sound?
For arguments sake though, you could Canada's best Ice Hockey players, give about 6 months to learn the game and I'm confident they'd win. Sounds ignorant, but some of these guys are million dollar athletes that have played hockey since they were 3 (see Sidney Crosby.)
Yes, Ice Hockey is played on Ice but the skills transfer over. For example, the best ball hockey player in the world a few years ago was Alex Burrows. Burrows now plays in the NHL, is a consistent 30 goal scorer and an elite defensive forward (probably once of Penalty killers around.)

Skills such a puck control, dekeing and shots would transfer over. Plus the goalies alone would be something different.

I appreciate you trying to explain the game to me.


To all you hurlers, I would love to see some of these guys try lacrosse. Or vice versa. Looks like a much more open version. Please keep in mind there are 2 lacrosses: Field and Box. Field is played in the UK, Australia and US. It's as it sounds, played on a field. I enjoyed that game, being able to watch the crap out of someone with a metal pole. That and the anyone is fair game within 10 feet of a downed ball.

Box lacrosse is a brutal sport played on a hockey rink in Canada and hockey popular states.
Yes they were pads but only because someone woud probably crack a skull open if they didn't.



I could imagine you Hurlers taking to that sport very well.

 

[psychic duck]

I'm sure there are nuances I don't understand but that looked like a soft game. Twice one of the white players checked one of the Orange guys and had to give it right back? Are you not allowed to check someone?

Say I was a defender, how would I get the ball from you in a legal fashion? Why was that ummmmm..... free shot given? Are you not allowed to blocks shots with your body? And why is that goalie so bad, he looked like an 80s NHL goalie.

Please forgive me as I am truly ignorant of the sport and I am only asking tough questions because I'm trying to understand the game. I used to bug people about cricket and now that I understand it, I enjoy it....a little.

you have to just intercept the ball with the stick, like a tackle in football, just with a stick, not too complicated

Box lacrosse is a brutal sport played on a hockey rink in Canada and hockey popular states.
Yes they were pads but only because someone woud probably crack a skull open if they didn't.



I could imagine you Hurlers taking to that sport very well.

living right up to that stereotype then that is so often said in Britain "fans of Ice Hockey or Lacrosse just watch for the fights rather than the match"

 

[dullonien]

Field Hockey isn't really a girly sport, not to the same extent as Netball

no men or boys would be embarrassed to say they played hockey, unlike how they would if they said they played Netball, Synchronized Swimming, Cheerleading, Yoga, Aerobics

I don't think any boy at school would be caught dead playing hockey. I agree that there's nothing overly girly about it, just has that reputation at school.

It's too easy to score in Basketball, when your team scores a try in rugby or scores a goal in football you are generally delighted, when it is basketball it is just mildly amusing

it is also size-ist, I'm 5 foot 6 or 7, and it rules out most people under 6 foot 6, so most people have no chance of playing

still better than Netball though, (which they make boys play at school)

Basketball isn't sizeist. You don't have to be able to dunk to be a good player. Just look at Muggsy Bogues, he was an NBA player at 5'3"! I was short for my age whilst growing up and never found that a problem. I couldn't, and still cannot reach the rim, but there's no need when a lay-up or simple shot is just as effective.

Basketball is a high scoring game, but that's not necessarily bad, it can make things very interesting towards the ends of matches because it's possible to score the winning basket with only a few seconds left on the clock. Games are often still close encounters with frantic finishes.

For playing, basketball is great. The speed of the game is unreal, one of the most physically challenging sports I've played, fitness wise, and that was despite being hugely fit at the time (level 14 and 15 on bleep tests etc.). I've played quite a few sports (football, rugby, badminton, mountain biking, tennis, squash, cricket, all kinds of running including representing my school at cross country, and basketball of course), and I'd still say basketball was the most tiring of all of those, although rolling substitutions helped. It really is end-to-end stuff.

Very underrated sport, which should be much bigger in the UK.

 

[LittleGuy]

Nah, tis grand to watch. It's just blurry youtube videos make seeing the ball a bit difficult. Fine on TV.

It's on here in Canada occasionally on the same channel that shows Rugby and I hardly ever lose track of the ball myself, only very rarely if someone goes for a point and the ball goes very high. The only thing I don't like is how the scoreline dosen't add the goals and points together eg 2-16 to 1-18 instead of 22(2-16) to 21(1-18) it's just a very small thing that bugs me, more so if I come into a game thats part way through.

Edit: It's amongst several small sports issues that bug me, others include....

1. "Team Canada" often Canadian broadcasters especially in Ice Hockey won't refer to our boys as Canada but as "Team Canada" obviously it's a ****ing team...it's corny, cheesy, touchy feely, and totally reduntant.

2. New Zealand names for rugby positions...First Five-Eighths!!!!! Whats next Second Nineteen-Thirty Sixth.

3. Places that use the convention of listing backs first in rugby instead of forwards.

4. Kneel downs in NFL and everyone wanders around the field and starts hugging each other before the game clock has reached zero(Kneel downs aren't nearly as widespread in Canadian girdiron due to rule diffferences)

 

[psychic duck]

I don't think any boy at school would be caught dead playing hockey. I agree that there's nothing overly girly about it, just has that reputation at school.

I agree to disagree, I had never thought hockey had a particularly girly nor particularly masculine reputation

 

[lucky number 7]

A good few blokes I'd know have played Hockey , at the risk of sounding like someone who holds any weight in religious differences they are all protestants ..so I'd assume it's perhaps a more cultural thing over here ?

I'm a good catholic so I never played with the devils sticks...

(I don't give a flying **** what religion someone is for the record)

 

[Canucks]

you have to just intercept the ball with the stick, like a tackle in football, just with a stick, not too complicated



living right up to that stereotype then that is so often said in Britain "fans of Ice Hockey or Lacrosse just watch for the fights rather than the match"

But there's got to be more to it than that. I am not trying to take the mick, I am honestly curious.

Your saying that the only way to take the ball is to intercept it, so whats stopping someone going all the way down an scoring. I'm certan your not allowed to make body contact. Are you allowed to stick check? If so what are the rules? Is it stick on stick? Does your stick have to touch ball first? Are you allowed to shot block with your body?

How about the goalies? Are they allowed to go on their knees into a butterfly? Are they allowed to smother the puck?


Speaking of stereotypes, fighting in Canada is a culture thing. It's in all our sports at almost all our levels. To an outsider it looks barbaric and yes it may be barbaric but for our culture is almost necessary in some situations.
I don't go to a hockey game to watch a fight. I go to watch good hockey, hence why I hate this years abomination of a Stanley Cup final. Fighting happens.
Here's Canadian logic on fighting. You do something to my team that's cheap, therefore to not appear weak, I must respond for my time but in a fair fashion. Therefore I challenge you to a fair fight.
Works this way as well, my team is dogging it, I want to spark them, so I start a fight, preferrably with a bigger guy.
Or, you and I have a long history of not liking each and finally it's come to front. In our anger we fight, everyone lets us finish and splits it, and then that's the end of our issues (on same teams only.)

As well, there are rules to fighting. In that video you saw a few. When a ref intervenes you stop. When your opponent is on the ground and not getting back you stop. If you are true men you take the gloves off, helmets off, meet at center ice and go for it.

I understand British attitudes towards which is why it isn't popular over here. For example, in Canada, at mens rugby level below 1st, it is common to have one brawl a year (screw the Vancouver Rowers.) There is never a citation, no supplementary discipline. In England, you get banned for 6 weeks for a single punch no matter how well deserved (seen 3 times this season alone.) Heck, I know a coach that got 6 months for calling out a ref on screwing up the score. Culture difference.



Basketball isn't really sizest. Steve Nash disproves anything about having to tall to be considered good.
Want to complain a discriminatory sport, try NFL. Only 2 white running backs (who have been treated like crap) and no white cornerbacks. As well any black QB gets treated as if at any moment they may not understand whats going on and there are no black kickers. Most racist sport on the planet.

 

[psychic duck]

But there's got to be more to it than that. I am not trying to take the mick, I am honestly curious.

Your saying that the only way to take the ball is to intercept it, so whats stopping someone going all the way down an scoring. I'm certan your not allowed to make body contact. Are you allowed to stick check? If so what are the rules? Is it stick on stick? Does your stick have to touch ball first? Are you allowed to shot block with your body?

How about the goalies? Are they allowed to go on their knees into a butterfly? Are they allowed to smother the puck?

the goal keeper at field hockey can save with all parts of the body, like legs, knees, or whatever I think

you can't deliberately hit the opponents stick, but if you hit their stick whilst attempting to tackle that's ok

the tackle in hockey is just like a tackle in football, I'm not really an expert on hockey to be honest so I suggest you research it via Google

 

[Canucks]

the goal keeper at field hockey can save with all parts of the body, like legs, knees, or whatever I think

you can't deliberately hit the opponents stick, but if you hit their stick whilst attempting to tackle that's ok

the tackle in hockey is just like a tackle in football, I'm not really an expert on hockey to be honest so I suggest you research it via Google

Google and youtube just confuse it further.

Thanks for the attempt though. Does make sense.

 

[TRF_heineken]

In South Africa field hockey is one of the sports that forms part of the School sports curriculum.

In Summer it's athletics, Cricket (boys) and Netball (girls). In winter it's Rugby (boys) and field hockey (boys and girls). I know in the SH field hockey is a very popular sport. When I was in school it was usually the skinny skater boys that was too pussy to play rugby that went on to play hockey just so that they can go on the bus with the girls and finger them at the back...

Man I hate those guys!!

Also, Hurling, isn't that just a synonym for projectile vomiting??

 

[nickdnz]

In New Zealand Field Hockey is both a men and womens sport. It's fairly popular here with NZ mens rated 7th and Womens rated 6th in the world. I know it's big in Australia as well.

Netball on the other hand is primarily for females. There are mens leagues but from what little I know of them they're more social teams (for example a company may have a mixed male and female team). Overall it's probably the most popular females sport in New Zealand and also in my opinion the most tedious, as teachers would usually make kids in primary school (or maybe it's just my school) play netball over playing soccer, rugby or basketball, as the no contact makes it hard for things to go wrong and boys and girls can play.

In South Africa field hockey is one of the sports that forms part of the School sports curriculum.

In Summer it's athletics, Cricket (boys) and Netball (girls). In winter it's Rugby (boys) and field hockey (boys and girls). I know in the SH field hockey is a very popular sport. When I was in school it was usually the skinny skater boys that was too pussy to play rugby that went on to play hockey just so that they can go on the bus with the girls and finger them at the back...

Man I hate those guys!!

Also, Hurling, isn't that just a synonym for projectile vomiting??

Seriously?!?! I was always more of a mid-bus man myself, close enough towards the second door that I could leave early but far enough away from the front that I didn't have to hear people complain about always getting bus sick. Had I known what kind of crazy orgies were going on at the back of the bus...

Adds a whole new terrible dimension to the Rosa Parks incident (joking!)

 

[Feicarsinn]

If anyone's interested in actually watching a decent game of hurling here's a link to last year's final in pretty good quality:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqwkiYVf5Z8&feature=related

Michael Fennelly is a ****ing monster.

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Do the afrikaners play korfball?

 

[TRF_heineken]

Do the afrikaners play korfball?

Why yes we do, but more in the sense of indoor action sports like indoor touch rugby, indoor cricket, action hockey and korfbal.

I know in my town there are 2 venues where these sports are being played, and it's mostly used by companies as a way of bonding with their staff, clients and families.

if there is any sport which doesn't involve ice, then we'll try it...

 

[big ginger 8]

In South Africa field hockey is one of the sports that forms part of the School sports curriculum.

In Summer it's athletics, Cricket (boys) and Netball (girls). In winter it's Rugby (boys) and field hockey (boys and girls). I know in the SH field hockey is a very popular sport. When I was in school it was usually the skinny skater boys that was too pussy to play rugby that went on to play hockey just so that they can go on the bus with the girls and finger them at the back...

Man I hate those guys!!

Also, Hurling, isn't that just a synonym for projectile vomiting??

Hurling is the sport of warriors or at least it was.

 

[mugger]

Hello,

I have moved to the UK from Canada and have struggled to understand some things about UK.

First off, Field Hockey is a girl sport right? i had a rugby game a few weeks ago and saw a group of men playing in an organised league. Either that or it was some very burly women. In Canada, field Hockey is strictly a girls sport, men cannot look at themselves in the mirror if they play it. Any attempt to try field hockey results in so much hassling that you may as well castrate yourself. Especially when we have about 10 variations of actual hockey that you play plus both box and field lacrosse.

Youtube semi answered my question. Apparently, there is a field hockey world cup that men actually play and it's in the olympics. It looked very unexciting seeing as nobody checked anyone, the goalies sucked and they all looked pretty girly bent over playing with a small, weird stick. The shots looked unimpressive and there was absolutely nothing exciting about it.
As well, according to wiki your not allowed to stick check and blocking shots is frowned upon. Physical contact is not allowed and any sort of reckless play is a penalty. Contrary to that, a few people have told me that it's actually Hockey and it's more manly than ice hockey because they were pads. Canada wouldn't play it because we would lose every time (AHAAHAHAHAHAH)

i guess my questions is, Are men playing Field Hockey frowned upon? If not, why?

And what the hell is netball?

You would **** yourself standing in goal facing a drag-flick or hit shot, it's extremely skilful as unlike the ice version you can only use 1 side of the stick and not your boots plus goalies have a bigger goal to defend. There is more skill involved in 1 minute of hockey than a whole rugby match both teams combined (I know I have captained both sports). Canada have a decent national men's team, would probably be better without people like you putting potential players off, you moron.

 

[Yulia]

In Ireland hockey is generally seen as more of a girls sport.

Even an ice hockey?!? That's absolutely crazy tbh.
And what sport is considered as a "sport of true men" in Ireland then?