History of Zone Hockey

The origins of hockey can be traced back to the earliest civilizations of the world, but the modern game of field hockey was developed in the British Isles. The modern game was started in England in the mid 1800's as an alternative to football for cricketers seeking a winter sport. 

The game of Hockey is played widely across the world.  In England it is a popular family orientated sport, played mainly in clubs by both men and women. The game is well-liked in many schools, particularly in the independent sector and offers a lifetime of both sporting and social opportunities for players, officials and administrators alike. 

The rules of hockey are very similar to the rules of football except that players must use sticks instead of their feet to play the ball.  There are 11 players on a team made up of a Goalkeeper, Defenders, Midfielders and Attackers.  The only player on the field who is allowed to use their feet and hands as well as their stick is the goalkeeper.

Zone Hockey was originally developed via Action Research methods as an adapted version of hockey in Project Adapted at Nottingham Trent University, by Doug Williamson. It was then adopted by the Youth Sport Trust and through the efforts of Ken Black was included as one of the new dynamic sports for Sportsability 2. However the development of the finer details of the game in the community was due to the excellent work carried out by Sue Sutton at England Hockey which has now adopted it as an official special needs developmental game for the future. 

Other supporting partners involved in the early phase included Disability Sport England, British Wheelchair Sports Foundation and especially Anne Cradock and pupils at the Wilson Stuart School, Birmingham.