Far From Pitch Perfect

Ashley Morrison

Ask any Indian Hockey fan why there was 41 years between their hockey team winning an Olympic medal and the chances are most will tell you that the switch from a grass pitch to an artificial surface was a huge contributing factor. Many believe that the birth of the artificial surface was a deliberate ploy to reduce the dominance of the teams from the subcontinent, namely India and Pakistan, and give the European nations a better opportunity of success.