The following International Golden Oldies playing rules apply when participating in a Festival.
General Playing Rules
Each team lines up with 11 players on the field at one time, and substitutions can be made freely.
A three-touch bully off will start each game. A pass from the center of the field starts play after each goal.
A minimum of two games per team will be played each game day.
Results
Results will not be recorded.
Game Duration
Games consist of 2 x 20 minutes halves with a 5 minute break for half time.
Injury Time
There will be no time out for injury – the clock will keep running and the injured player replaced by another player. If any serious injury occurs the umpire will stop play, decide what course of action is to be taken, and play will resume when it is deemed safe to do so. The clock will continue to run throughout this stoppage.
Non Aggressive Play/No Tackles Allowed Identification
For those participants who wish to avoid aggressive play or prefer not to be tackled, brightly coloured ribbon will be supplied by the committee to wrap around your stick.
As a courtesy please notify the opposition at the start of the game that you have players in this situation.
Players with this ribbon on their sticks are only allowed to travel 20metres with the ball.
Warnings and Suspensions
A blue card will be introduced to Golden Oldies this year. If the umpire shows you the ‘blue card’ this means you have offended in a ‘Golden Oldies style’ and you must buy the player that you offended against a beer at the end of the match.
Penalty Stroke
There will be no penalty strokes in the Golden Oldies matches
New Rules introduced into Hockey in February 2009
In February 2009 the FIH introduced an updated version of free hit rule. The changes allow a player taking a free hit to pass the ball to themselves. Importantly, this is not a "play on" situation, but to the untrained eye it may appear to be. The player must play the ball any distance in two separate motions, before continuing as if it were a play-on situation.
Also, all players (from both teams) must be at least 5 m from any free hit awarded to the attacking team within the 23m area. Additionally, no free hits to the attacking team are permitted within 5m of the circle, so if a free hit is awarded inside this area it must be dragged back outside this zone. The ball may not travel directly into the circle from a free hit to the attack within the 23m area without first being touched by another player or being dribbled at least 5 m by a player making a "self-pass". These rules apply to all free hit situations, including sideline and corner hits.
Short Corners
Short corners begin with five defenders (including the keeper) positioned behind the back line. All other players in the defending team must be beyond the centre line, that is not in their 'own' half of the pitch, until the ball is in play.
The ball must pass outside the circle and then put back into the circle before the attackers may make a shot at the goal from which a goal can be scored.
For safety reasons, the first shot of a penalty corner must not exceed 460 mm high (the height of the "backboard" of the goal) at the point it crosses the goal line if it is hit. However, if the ball is deemed to be below backboard height, the ball can be subsequently deflected above this height by another player (defender or attacker), providing that this deflection does not lead to danger.
If the first shot at goal in a short corner situation is a push, flick or scoop, in particular the drag flick (which has become popular at international and national league standards), the shot is permitted to rise above the height of the backboard, as long as the shot is not deemed dangerous to any opponent.
Mixed Matches
While most mixed matches in Golden Oldies are very friendly we have been requested to apply these rules for safety reasons:
There should be at least two female defenders (excluding the GK) at a penalty corner and the first shot should be from a female.
If (mainly when short of female players) a male has to have the first shot then it can be all male defenders.
