A retrofittable
inflatable rim of the proposed invention comprises tubing which may be provided with a connector strip. The rim is of the size and shape of the perimeter of the hockey-mat it is intended to be used with. The mat can be placed inside the rim on top of the connector strip which is overlapped by the mat. The connector strip, or the rim itself without connector strip, may additionally be attached to the mat by means of Velcro (RTM), stitching, glueing or
alternative methods. The cross-sectional geometry of the inflated rim is designed to return a hockey ball crisply and without upward movement when the ball is played over the mat against the rim.