An Oral History of England and Team GB Women's International Hockey Representatives 1951-2016
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Wolverhampton
Department Name: Faculty of Education, Health & Wellbeing
Abstract
This project will produce a collective biography of women who have represented England at the 41 Wembley international matches between 1951 and 1991, at the Women's Hockey World Cup between 1974 and 2014 and as part of Team GB at the Olympic Games from 1980 to 2016. Research will include collected oral histories of England International players from 1951 to the 2016 Olympics and, where appropriate, their family members and the administrators, medical and coaching staff who enabled the players to travel on behalf of their national teams. This is significant because women's work as national representatives of England and, at the Olympic Games as Team GB, used to be amateur but is now increasingly professional. This chronology evidences women's improved specialisation as elite players and a consequent broader public recognition, as shown by the gold medal in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The initiation of this research is very timely and topical with many of the earlier post-World War 2 representative players now elderly or deceased. Importantly, international women's hockey developed as part of the All England Women's Hockey Association since 1895; as part of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) since 1924 and as part of professional league competition beginning at about the same time. As several commentators have indicated, although ostensibly led by key female administrators, women's hockey has long been supported by significant male administrators, coaches, medical and coaching staff as well as the family and friends of representative players.
Particular research questions include, who are the women who have appeared as international representatives since 1951? What have been their social origins, class, age, education and sexuality? How has their experience changed with the change from amateur to professional? What have been the politics of women's relationship with male coaches and administrators? How have their experiences of different tournaments and touring shaped their perception of representative competition? How important have family and friendship networks been in sustaining hockey careers?
The initiation of this research is very timely and topical with many of the earlier post-World War 2 representative players now elderly or deceased. Importantly, international women's hockey developed as part of the All England Women's Hockey Association since 1895; as part of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) since 1924 and as part of professional league competition beginning at about the same time. As several commentators have indicated, although ostensibly led by key female administrators, women's hockey has long been supported by significant male administrators, coaches, medical and coaching staff as well as the family and friends of representative players.
Particular research questions include, who are the women who have appeared as international representatives since 1951? What have been their social origins, class, age, education and sexuality? How has their experience changed with the change from amateur to professional? What have been the politics of women's relationship with male coaches and administrators? How have their experiences of different tournaments and touring shaped their perception of representative competition? How important have family and friendship networks been in sustaining hockey careers?
