Field hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalkeeper. Teams must move a hockey ball around a pitch by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting circle and then into the goal. The match is won by the team that scores the most goals. Matches are played on grass, watered turf, artificial turf, or indoor boarded surface.

The stick is made of wood, carbon fibre, fibreglass and carbon, or a combination of carbon fibre and fibreglass in different quantities. The stick has two sides; one rounded and one flat; only the flat face of the stick is allowed to progress the ball. During play, goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with any part of their body. A player's hand is considered part of the stick if holding the stick. If the ball is "played" with the rounded part of the stick (i.e. deliberately stopped or hit), it will result in a penalty (accidental touches are not an offence if they do not materially affect play). Goalkeepers often have a different design of stick; they also cannot play the ball with the round side of their stick.

The modern game was developed at public schools in 19th century England and it is now played globally.^[1] The governing body is the International Hockey Federation (FIH), called the Fédération Internationale de Hockey in French. Men and women are represented internationally in competitions including the Olympic Games, World Cup, FIH Pro League, Junior World Cup and in past also World League, Champions Trophy. Many countries run extensive junior, senior, and masters club competitions. The FIH is also responsible for organizing the Hockey Rules Board and developing the sport's rules.

The sport is known simply as "hockey" in countries where it is the more common form of hockey. The term "field hockey" is used primarily in Canada and the United States, where "hockey" more often refers to ice hockey. In Sweden, the term landhockey is used. A popular variant is indoor field hockey, which differs in a number of respects while embodying the primary principles of hockey.