Women in Sports History

Women are, and have been for many years, actively involved as players, supporters and co-ordinators in a range of sports and yet they are often missing from, or sidelined in, accounts of the history of these sports.
Commenting first on the lack of inclusion of women in British sports history, the book goes on to examine aspects of women’s participation between the late-nineteenth century and the mid-twentieth century more broadly. It draws together some of the latest research undertaken by international scholars working in the field, and includes case studies about golf, bridge, rowing, figure skating and athletics.
Between them the chapters demonstrate that women enjoyed mixed fortunes in sport. They positively highlight the scope of participation, as well as the complex interactions and responses that participation generated on account of life stage, social class, ethnicity and national identity across time and place. The incorporated methodological and theoretical approaches invite readers to reconsider existing sport historiography and point to new directions for future research.
This book was first published as a special issue of Sport in History.

Carol A. Osborne is a Lecturer at the School of Sport, University of Cumbria, UK.
Fiona Skillen is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the International Football Institute, School of Sport, Tourism and the Outdoors, University of Central Lancashire, UK.

1. Introduction. The State of Play: Women in British Sport History Carol A. Osborne and Fiona Skillen 2. A Window of Opportunity? Preliminary Thoughts on Women’s Sport in Post-war Britain Joyce Kay 3. From Mixed-Sex Sport to Sport for Girls: The Feminization of Figure Skating Mary Louise Adams 4. Frisky and Bitchy: Unlikely British Olympic Heroes? Jean Williams 5. Lilli Henoch and Martha Jacob – Two Jewish Athletes in Germany Before and After 1933 Berno Bahro 6. ‘Ladies First’?: Establishing a Place for Women Golfers in British Golf Clubs, 1867–1914 Jane George 7. Against Hegemonic Currents: Women’s Rowing into the First Half of the Twentieth Century Amanda N. Schweinbenz