Click the image to watch the film.

The Hockey Museum (THM) is pleased to be have been a contributor to The Surface, a new hockey documentary from Level Films. It charts hockey’s artificial turf transformation from grass players to turf-natives.

As the only museum of hockey, we feel a duty to respond to initiatives that can help to spread the gospel of the sport and to make available the amazing historical resource that is held at THM. Our Chair, John Willmott and Curator, Mike Smith were interviewed for their expertise and personal recollections, and the museum provided an array of digitised collection material to support the storytelling.

We are conscious that having been commissioned by turf manufacturers Polytan and Astroturf this film will have a commercial angle, but nevertheless, the result is a valuable, interesting and highly professional documentary.

Alongside our own contributions to the film, THM is beginning a journey to research the history of artificial turf drawing on our own contacts and the archives held at the museum.

Click the image above to watch the film, The Surface.

More About The Film

In The Surface, directors and producers James Dean and Matt Crocker explore some of the most pivotal moments in hockey’s 45-year transformation since the first turf at the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976. From Montreal ‘76, to the skills explosion in the 2000s, to London 2012’s famous blue turfs and the launch of hockey’s sustainability journey at Tokyo2020, The Surface gives a voice to hockey’s 4,000-year history and its astonishing 45-year turf story.

Featuring Jamie Dwyer, Luciana Aymar, Tayyab Ikram, Ric Charlesworth and an enviable cast of other hockey legends, the film tells hockey’s unique story through the stars and leaders who helped to transform the game.

Luciana and Jamie, who between them have 13 World Player of the Year awards, ignited the skills explosion and give a first-hand perspective on what it took to take the game to new levels.

Tayyab Ikram, CEO of the Asian Hockey Federation covers so much ground from elite coaching to youth participation and provided an insight into the golden age of India and Pakistan hockey.

Sue Catton who was the driving force for two major innovations – London’s blue turfs which have changed hockey’s colours forever and ‘Big Stadium Hockey’ which made the game available to more fans – offers a first-hand insight into these pivotal moments.

Created by Level Films and supported by Polytan and Astroturf, The Surface is a film about innovation that required an innovative approach. COVID-19 necessitated completely reimagining the process of documentary filmmaking. All interviews outside of the UK had to be conducted remotely and much of the film was directed through video link to local film crews.

The result is a film about the making-of modern hockey that is totally original and told from a number of important perspectives from across the global hockey community.