When she was 40 my mom was on the US national field hockey team in the global competition for the event (I have no idea the name of it). And she didn't even play field hockey! She was a professional tennis player who refereed high school field hockey tournaments, and the skill set was close enough for her to make the team.
While we sleep the other side of the world is going wild over cricket and field hockey. Who knew? Lol
I was a sports photographer. Once I was at a field shooting a college field hockey game. Before the kids took the field, there was a club game with older men playing. Holy crap! It was a very different game. It moved fast. It was very physical and took a ton of skill.
Slow games played on bad fields is the norm for the US. I can understand why it’s not popular here. But, when its modestly good, its fun to watch.