In the recently held Champions Trophy, I saw that the players play with water on the field.

Water at the foot of the player

Why is water present on the field?


The game was being played on artificial turf. According to Wikipedia:

There are three main types of artificial hockey surface:

- Unfilled or water-based – artificial fibres that are densely packed for stabilisation, requires irrigation or watering to avoid pitch wear
- Dressed or sand-dressed – artificial fibres can be less densely packed and sand supports the fibres for part of the pile depth
- Filled or sand-filled – artificial fibres can be longer and less densely packed and sand supports the fibres for 100% of the pile depth

The purpose of water is:

On water-based pitches, shorter fibres and wetted turf reduce friction and increase the speed at which the game can be played.

The article also states:

Elite-level competitions, such as the Olympic Games and World Cup, require a water-based playing surface.


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