Scotland have been confirmed in both Men’s and Women’s Hockey events at Gold Coast 2018 and will be looking to make their mark Down Under. As part of our Sport Focus series, here are 12 things you might not know about Hockey at the Commonwealth Games:

1. Hockey is one of a number of core sports at the Commonwealth Games, making its debut in 1998. Scotland sent a women’s team who missed out on a place in the medal matches only on goal difference.

2. Scotland’s men made their debut at Melbourne 2006, finishing 7^th.

3. The best Scottish result in Hockey to date was 5^th for the women’s team at Melbourne 2006.

4. Each team will send a squad of 18 players to Gold Coast 2018, with 11 players on the pitch at any one time.

5. Hockey competition will run for the duration of the Games from 5-14 April and take place at the Gold Coast Hockey Centre which has undergone a $16.5million upgrade for the Games, completed in June 2017.

6. Both Scotland’s men and women will play the host nation, and defending champions, Australia in the group stages.

7. Scotland’s men are drawn in Pool A against Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada while the women are drawn in Pool B against Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ghana.

8. Both Scotland men’s and women’s team will play on the opening day of the Games – men v South Africa and women v New Zealand.

9. Twenty four umpires from a range of nations have been appointed by the International Hockey Federation to preside over the tournament. These include two from Scotland: Sarah Wilson (women’s event) and David Sweetman (men’s event).

10. Australia have dominated the sport at the Commonwealth Games with their men winning every gold medal to date and their women winning on all but one occasion, when they took bronze at Manchester 2002.

11. Only six nations have ever won a Commonwealth Games hockey medal: Australia, India, England and New Zealand who have won medals in both men’s and women’s events plus Malaysia and Pakistan in the men’s event only.

12. Played in more than 100 countries, Hockey is one of the most popular sports in the world. Participation numbers show that Hockey is played by as many girls and women as by boys and men.