Why is field hockey played with water on the field?

Question

In the recently held Champions Trophy, I saw that the players play with water on the field.

Why is water present on the field?

Answer 1

The game was being played on artificial turf. According to Wikipedia:

There are three main types of artificial hockey surface:

- Unfilled or water-based – artificial fibres that are densely packed for stabilisation, requires irrigation or watering to avoid pitch wear
- Dressed or sand-dressed – artificial fibres can be less densely packed and sand supports the fibres for part of the pile depth
- Filled or sand-filled – artificial fibres can be longer and less densely packed and sand supports the fibres for 100% of the pile depth

The purpose of water is:

On water-based pitches, shorter fibres and wetted turf reduce friction and increase the speed at which the game can be played.

The article also states:

Elite-level competitions, such as the Olympic Games and World Cup, require a water-based playing surface.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_pitch#Artificial_playing_surface