Dita Field Hockey
Encyclopedia
Dita is a sporting goods company
which specializes in field hockey stick
s and turf
shoes. While Dita is sold worldwide, its main distributors are located in the USA, the UK, and the Netherlands
.
, Duke
, and 2008 NCAA D-I champions Maryland
. However, many members of the US Women's National Team, such as Kelly Doton
, have started playing with Dita as well. It is somewhat less popular on the Men's National Team, though team member Nate Coolidge was featured in the 2008 Dita Catalog.
Dita sponsors a variety of events in North America including the Dita National Championship in Canada and the Dita Cup Challenge in the US. Every year, the Dita Coach of the Year Award goes to the top Division I field hockey coaches.
, and table tennis
equipment, but has since dropped the last two to focus exclusively on field hockey. The brand name was bestowed by Allah's son, Mr. K. M. Iqbal, in his honor.
Dita received one of its highest honors in recent history when Teun de Nooijer
, two time FIH
Player of the Year, chose to create his own signature stick to be fed into the Dita line. Named the Giga #14 after his jersey number, it helped to launch the company's modern branch of composite
sticks: the Gigas, the Terras, and the Exas.
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
which specializes in field hockey stick
Field hockey stick
In field hockey, each player carries a stick and cannot take part in the game without it. The stick is usually between 36" and 38" long and traditionally made of wood but now almost all the more expensive sticks are composite, that is made of a number of materials...
s and turf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
shoes. While Dita is sold worldwide, its main distributors are located in the USA, the UK, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Popularity
In the United States, Dita is best known for its use at the college level with teams such as Wake ForestWake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
, Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, and 2008 NCAA D-I champions Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. However, many members of the US Women's National Team, such as Kelly Doton
Kelly Doton
Kelly Doton is a field hockey defender from the United States, who earned her first international cap vs New Zealand on April 14, 2005 in Virginia Beach...
, have started playing with Dita as well. It is somewhat less popular on the Men's National Team, though team member Nate Coolidge was featured in the 2008 Dita Catalog.
Dita sponsors a variety of events in North America including the Dita National Championship in Canada and the Dita Cup Challenge in the US. Every year, the Dita Coach of the Year Award goes to the top Division I field hockey coaches.
History
Dita is Urdu for 'heaven sent, or gift from God'. The company originated in what is now Pakistan through founder Allah Dita. It specialized in field hockey, cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, and table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
equipment, but has since dropped the last two to focus exclusively on field hockey. The brand name was bestowed by Allah's son, Mr. K. M. Iqbal, in his honor.
Dita received one of its highest honors in recent history when Teun de Nooijer
Teun de Nooijer
Teun Floris de Nooijer is a field hockey player from the Netherlands, who twice became Olympic champion with the Dutch national squad: in 1996 and in 2000. He currently plays for Dutch side HC Bloemendaal.- Life and work :He made his debut on 4 June 1994 in a friendly match against New Zealand...
, two time FIH
International Hockey Federation
The International Field Hockey Federation is the global governing body of field hockey...
Player of the Year, chose to create his own signature stick to be fed into the Dita line. Named the Giga #14 after his jersey number, it helped to launch the company's modern branch of composite
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
sticks: the Gigas, the Terras, and the Exas.