Historical records signifies that games very similar to hockey were played 4,000 years ago. Drawings found in the Beni-Hasen tombs, in the Nile Valley depicted men playing these sports. Records show that the game was played in various antique civilizations such as Arab, Persia, Rome, Ethiopia, as well as Aztec. However, it is not possible to point out exactly when and where the game started. During its initial stage, hockey-like games were played in the whole Europe. The origin of the word hockey is unclear till now. Although it might be considered that the word may trace its roots to comocke and ‘hok’, the Anglo-Saxon word for 'hook' or It may also have come from the French word, hocquet.

The hockey sticks came into picture in the early 1800s.The foremost stick was quite different from the present sticks. The first stick was 36 inches long with a big sweeping blade. The stick was made of English Ash and was steamed and bent into shape to make the head of the stick. Later, the head was joined to the duct. The handle was made out of cane and a ‘V’ shaped link joined the head and the handle. This technique of making the stick continued till the 1970's.

During the 19th century, Hockey's popularity increased tremendously. The modern game , which was developed by Middlesex cricket clubs began to compose rules , including banning the raising of the stick above shoulder height and specifying that a shot at goal should compulsorily take place within the circle in front of the goal from 1874. The Hockey Association was formed in 1886 by seven London clubs and representatives from Trinity College, Cambridge.Another club known as Teddington club provided hockey with most of it’s rules such as limiting the number of players to eleven per side and the idea of the striking circle, also known as ‘the dee’ or 'D'. First international competition of Hockey took place in 1895 . Hockey was included in Hockey for the first time in 1908 London Olympics as a men's competition. It became a permanent event after the 1928 Amsterdam Games.

In 1924, the International Hockey Federation(FIH) was founded in Paris when the Hockey Association united with it. Subsequently, the International Rules Board too became a part of the FIH. In India also Hockey gained popularity when the first clubs were formed in Calcutta by the British officers in 1885. After around a decade the Beighton Cup and the Aga Khan tournament came into existence. India first appeared in the Olympic Games in 1928 and won all five of its games hence claiming the gold medal without taking a single goal from the opponents. India bagged the gold medals at the1932 games until 1956, and then again in 1964 and 1980. The International Hockey Federation has ever since been growing and now consists of 112 members.