Women's baseball in Australia
Encyclopedia
In the 1880s in Victoria, there were school competitions for girls involving interschool competitions for rounders, an early form of baseball. The competitions were abandoned in the 1890s. Girls who played rounders/baseball during the 1880s and 1890s were required to wear long sleeved shirts and long skirts. These restricted a player's ability to move.
At Merton Hall in 1908, school girls who did not want to play other sports were required to play baseball. Merton Hall's girls baseball team competed against Lauriston
and PLC. During the 1900s, baseball was a year round sport. Because of clothing restrictions, during the 1900s, "two masters, captaining opposing teams of boarders and day girls, did all the running."
During the 1910s, vigoro
was played in some schools in Australia
. The game was a combination of baseball
and cricket
. It was popular in New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland.
During the 1910s, girls sports in schools were hard to organise because of a lack of available equipment and space set aside for them. There were also issues of the lack of available players at schools. This made it hard to play baseball at schools.
In 1911, there was a state organisation for women's baseball in Western Australia.
In the late 1920s, the YWCA
started several baseball teams in Canberra
.
During the 1930s, companies sponsored women's sport teams, and occasionally women's baseball teams, because physical activity for women improved their productivity at work. Arnotts
in New South Wales purpose built several facilities for its female employees, including a baseball diamond.
During the 1930s, country competitions were frequently held for female sports players. One of the sports that country competition regularly took place for was baseball.
In the 1930s, changes were made to women's baseball player uniforms. These uniforms were known was "plus fours" or "apple catchers" or "knickerboxers." Baseball players liked them because the uniforms were modest, while allowing for a wide range of movement.
During the 1930s, The Sportswoman was published. It was a Melbourne
based newspaper exclusively dedicated to women's sport. Maise McDiarmed was the newspaper's baseball report. This was during an era where the trend was women covered women's sport and men's covered men's sport.
In 1933, the New South Wales Amateur Women's Sport Council was created by Gwendolen Game. The organisation brought together all the women's sporting bodies on the state level. Sports represented included New South Wales's women's field hockey, cricket, women's basketball, baseball, rowing and vigoro
. A similar organisation covering similar sports had been created in Victoria in 1931.
The 1933 women's baseball season in Queensland started in October.
In 1934, the Victorian Women's Centennial Sports Carnival was held. The event was organised by the Victorian Women's Amateur Sports Council and held at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds. The purpose was to increase women's interest in sport by providing them opportunities to play. Sports that were included on the programme included cricket, field hockey, women's basketball, bowls, rowing, swimming, athletics, rifle shooting, baseball, golf, tennis and badminton. There were over 1,000 bowlers involved over the course a week. Cricket featured a match versus a visiting English side. Women's basketball
featured a Victorian side playing against a representative all Australian side. There was a day for watersports such as swimming and rowing. A tennis tournament was held. A field hockey tournament featuring Australian, Kiwi and Fijian teams was played.
The rules for women's baseball in Australia were not formally codified on a national level until 1933. At this time, all the women's state organisations for baseball go together to formally codify them in order to allow interstate competitions to take place. The first formal interstate competition happened in 1934. Prior to 1933, New South Wales and Queensland baseball players pitched overhand. Victorian baseball players pitched underhand. The codifiers of the rules decided that they would use the overhand pitch because the ball was thrown faster and more accurately, making it more difficult to hit. The size of the field was also made smaller than the men's diamond of the time and a smaller ball was to be used. In 1933, the Australian Women's Baseball Association was created as a result of the meeting and rule codification. Western Australia
finally joined the organisation in 1936.
In April 1934, the University of Sydney
hosted the first women's baseball national championships. When the championships were completed, an All Australian team was selected. All Australian selection was the highest honour a player could get at a time when a national team did not exist. In 1936, the Australians reached out to see about creating a tournament with national teams from Canada, the United States and Japan.
In 1936, the Kelvin Grove
baseball club in Brisbane banned women from using their field and equipment to play baseball because the "baseball is nor a woman's game."
In 1938, a Queensland women's baseball team played the Victorian women's baseball team in interstate games at University of Sydney
In 1940, a study of 314 women in New Zealand and Australia was done. Most of the women in the study were middle class, conservative, Protestant and white. The study found that 183 participated in sport. The twenty-fourth most popular sport that these women participated in was baseball, with 1 women having played the sport. The sport was tied with baseball, bowls
, and ice hockey
.ç
In 1942, softball
was introduced to Australia by American nurses who were in the country because of World War II
. Softball was a cross between rounders
and baseball. In 1944, the Victorian Women's Softball Association was created. At its inception and the start of a competition organised by the association, it had 29 teams and 250 players. By 1944, softball was integrated into the University of Melbourne
teacher physical education coursework. The first president of this organisation was Irene Burrows.
Australian women's sports had an advantage over many other women's sport organisations around the world in the period after World War II
. Women's sport organisations had largely remained intact and were holding competitions during the war period. This structure survived in the post war period. Women's sport were not hurt because of food rationing, petrol rationing, population disbursement, and other issues facing post-war Europe.
At Merton Hall in 1908, school girls who did not want to play other sports were required to play baseball. Merton Hall's girls baseball team competed against Lauriston
Lauriston
Lauriston is an area of central Edinburgh, Scotland. The former location of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, the area is undergoing a major re-development known as Quartermile...
and PLC. During the 1900s, baseball was a year round sport. Because of clothing restrictions, during the 1900s, "two masters, captaining opposing teams of boarders and day girls, did all the running."
During the 1910s, vigoro
Vigoro
Vigoro is a sport like both cricket and baseball and has been mainly played by women. It is most popular in Australia.-History:The game was invented by Englishman John George Grant...
was played in some schools in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The game was a combination of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and cricket
Cricket
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...
. It was popular in New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland.
During the 1910s, girls sports in schools were hard to organise because of a lack of available equipment and space set aside for them. There were also issues of the lack of available players at schools. This made it hard to play baseball at schools.
In 1911, there was a state organisation for women's baseball in Western Australia.
In the late 1920s, the YWCA
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
started several baseball teams in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.
During the 1930s, companies sponsored women's sport teams, and occasionally women's baseball teams, because physical activity for women improved their productivity at work. Arnotts
Arnotts
Arnotts can refer to;* Arnott's Biscuits Holdings, an Australian biscuit and salted snack food company* Arnotts , a department store in Dublin, Ireland...
in New South Wales purpose built several facilities for its female employees, including a baseball diamond.
During the 1930s, country competitions were frequently held for female sports players. One of the sports that country competition regularly took place for was baseball.
In the 1930s, changes were made to women's baseball player uniforms. These uniforms were known was "plus fours" or "apple catchers" or "knickerboxers." Baseball players liked them because the uniforms were modest, while allowing for a wide range of movement.
During the 1930s, The Sportswoman was published. It was a Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
based newspaper exclusively dedicated to women's sport. Maise McDiarmed was the newspaper's baseball report. This was during an era where the trend was women covered women's sport and men's covered men's sport.
In 1933, the New South Wales Amateur Women's Sport Council was created by Gwendolen Game. The organisation brought together all the women's sporting bodies on the state level. Sports represented included New South Wales's women's field hockey, cricket, women's basketball, baseball, rowing and vigoro
Vigoro
Vigoro is a sport like both cricket and baseball and has been mainly played by women. It is most popular in Australia.-History:The game was invented by Englishman John George Grant...
. A similar organisation covering similar sports had been created in Victoria in 1931.
The 1933 women's baseball season in Queensland started in October.
In 1934, the Victorian Women's Centennial Sports Carnival was held. The event was organised by the Victorian Women's Amateur Sports Council and held at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds. The purpose was to increase women's interest in sport by providing them opportunities to play. Sports that were included on the programme included cricket, field hockey, women's basketball, bowls, rowing, swimming, athletics, rifle shooting, baseball, golf, tennis and badminton. There were over 1,000 bowlers involved over the course a week. Cricket featured a match versus a visiting English side. Women's basketball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
featured a Victorian side playing against a representative all Australian side. There was a day for watersports such as swimming and rowing. A tennis tournament was held. A field hockey tournament featuring Australian, Kiwi and Fijian teams was played.
The rules for women's baseball in Australia were not formally codified on a national level until 1933. At this time, all the women's state organisations for baseball go together to formally codify them in order to allow interstate competitions to take place. The first formal interstate competition happened in 1934. Prior to 1933, New South Wales and Queensland baseball players pitched overhand. Victorian baseball players pitched underhand. The codifiers of the rules decided that they would use the overhand pitch because the ball was thrown faster and more accurately, making it more difficult to hit. The size of the field was also made smaller than the men's diamond of the time and a smaller ball was to be used. In 1933, the Australian Women's Baseball Association was created as a result of the meeting and rule codification. Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
finally joined the organisation in 1936.
In April 1934, the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
hosted the first women's baseball national championships. When the championships were completed, an All Australian team was selected. All Australian selection was the highest honour a player could get at a time when a national team did not exist. In 1936, the Australians reached out to see about creating a tournament with national teams from Canada, the United States and Japan.
In 1936, the Kelvin Grove
Kelvin Grove
Kelvin Grove is the name of various places:*Kelvin Grove, Calgary, a neighbourhood of Calgary, Alberta, Canada*Kelvin Grove, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia*Kelvin Grove, Palmerston North, a suburb of Palmerston North, New Zealand...
baseball club in Brisbane banned women from using their field and equipment to play baseball because the "baseball is nor a woman's game."
In 1938, a Queensland women's baseball team played the Victorian women's baseball team in interstate games at University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
In 1940, a study of 314 women in New Zealand and Australia was done. Most of the women in the study were middle class, conservative, Protestant and white. The study found that 183 participated in sport. The twenty-fourth most popular sport that these women participated in was baseball, with 1 women having played the sport. The sport was tied with baseball, bowls
Women's bowls in Australia
The first women's bowls match played in Australia took place in Stawell, Victoria in October 1881. The first women's only bowls club was not created for another seventeen years, when the Rainsford Bowls Club was created on December 16, 1898 at the home of J. Rainsford Needham, who lived in...
, and ice hockey
Women's ice hockey in Australia
In 1940, a study of 314 women in New Zealand and Australia was done. Most of the women in the study were middle class, conservative, Protestant and white. The study found that 183 participated in sport. The twenty-fourth most popular sport that these women participated in was ice hockey, with 1...
.ç
In 1942, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
was introduced to Australia by American nurses who were in the country because of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Softball was a cross between rounders
Rounders
Rounders is a game played between two teams of either gender. The game originated in England where it was played in Tudor times. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a round wooden, plastic or metal bat. The players score by...
and baseball. In 1944, the Victorian Women's Softball Association was created. At its inception and the start of a competition organised by the association, it had 29 teams and 250 players. By 1944, softball was integrated into the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
teacher physical education coursework. The first president of this organisation was Irene Burrows.
Australian women's sports had an advantage over many other women's sport organisations around the world in the period after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Women's sport organisations had largely remained intact and were holding competitions during the war period. This structure survived in the post war period. Women's sport were not hurt because of food rationing, petrol rationing, population disbursement, and other issues facing post-war Europe.
Australia Women's Championships
- 2011 Canberra, Australian Capital Territory - Victoria
- 2010 Gold Coast, QueenslandGold Coast, QueenslandGold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
- Western Australia - 2009 Geelong, VictoriaGeelong, VictoriaGeelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
- Victoria - 2008 Wollongong, New South WalesWollongong, New South WalesWollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
- Victoria - 2007 Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
- Victoria - 2006 Ipswich, QueenslandIpswich, QueenslandIpswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
- New South Wales - 2005 Melbourne, Victoria - Victoria
- 2004 Tamworth, New South WalesTamworth, New South WalesTamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
- Victoria - 2003 Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
- New South Wales - 2002 Gold Coast, QueenslandGold Coast, QueenslandGold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
- Victoria - 2001 Sydney, New South Wales - Victoria
- 2000 Melbourne, Victoria - Victoria
- 1999 Melbourne, Victoria - Victoria
See also
- Australia Women's Championships (baseball)Australia Women's Championships (baseball)The Australian Women's Championships is an annual event run by the Australian Baseball Federation. The Championship includes the women's Queensland Rams, Western Australia Heat, Victoria Aces, New South Wales Patriots as well as Victorian Provincial, a New South Wales Country team and Australian...
- Baseball awards#Australia
- Netball in AustraliaNetball in AustraliaNetball is the most popular women's team participation sport in Australia. In 1985, there were 347,000 players. In 1995, there were over 360,000 Australian netball players. Throughout most of Australia's netball history, the game has largely been a participation sport; it has not managed to become...
- Women's association football in AustraliaWomen's association football in AustraliaIn Australia, there are over 60,000 registered women's soccer players.Unless specified otherwise, all statistics and references refer exclusively to women.Association football, football and soccer are used interchangeably in this article.-History:...
- Women's field hockey in AustraliaWomen's field hockey in AustraliaField hockey has been played by women in Australia since 1901. By 1907, there were clubs in several states including New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria. Women's field hockey was eventually represented by the Australian Institute of Sport, though the amount of support it...