In 1970 the Victorian women's netball team was caught up in the growing political storm of the anti-apartheid movement when, as part of a tour of Australia, the all-white South African netball team were scheduled to play against Victoria at the Royal Park stadium on Wednesday, June 3, 1970. This controversial match, which became the site of student protests and police arrests, received extensive media coverage in Melbourne and beyond. Constructing a narrative drawn from a range of newspaper sources, photographs, and archival documents demonstrates how the legacy of these events has been largely overlooked in the history of netball in Victoria as well as in studies of the anti-apartheid movement in Australia. The events of 1970 are an important and instructive case study of the complex relationship between women's sports, politics and race at that time.

Historically, field hockey has occupied an ambivalent space in sporting histories. Despite having a global presence, it has not - with the possible exception of India during the second half of the twentieth century - attained the position of a national sport in any country in which it is played. There are, nevertheless, windows of time in which field hockey has played a significant role in national, ethnic and community identities in particular places, and, at a broader level in the development of women's sport. Moreover, studies of games which have historically been considered 'minor' sports afford valuable insights into sports history more broadly because they illustrate how marginal activities position themselves, and are in turn positioned, within the development of sport more broadly. In a sense, the histories of field hockey can be interpreted as case studies of how groups marginalized in terms of political power, have engaged with the dominant culture and in so doing created spaces for themselves.

Despite its notable global presence as one of the most popular sports for women, netball has almost no profile within sports history and only a very limited body of scholarly work exploring its historical and socio-cultural presence. The game, developed in the 1890s as an off-shoot of basketball consistent with prevailing gender ideologies of the era, took hold in British Physical Training Colleges before being taken up as a team sport suitable for girls and women across much of the British world. Yet, as a sport coded suitable for women, developed, organized, led and institutionalized by women, it remains comparatively marginal in both the wider sports world and in sport-related scholarship. This introductory essay sketches the nature of that marginalization, considers the limited body of scholarly work exploring netball's history, and provides a frame for understanding this first collection of scholarly analyses of netball history.

Compared to other sports around the globe, netball has received relatively little attention from academic historians. The reasons for this omission are obvious, in that generally sport played by women has nearly always suffered in comparison to men's sports in terms of exposure, acceptance, and financial support. Therefore, it is perhaps not surprising that the academy, throughout much of the twentieth century, has tended not to focus on studies of female sports. The purpose of this paper, then, is to explore the origin stories of netball in one particular state of Australia, namely Victoria. This task is constrained by the fact that there is only a relatively small number of published works on the history of netball in Australia, and a general lack of systematic or verified research regarding the diffusion of the sport to the antipodes. Critically, the paper is not based around a quest for a single point of origin. Rather, it calls for a better understanding and appreciation of the social context surrounding multiple origin stories, and how they may evolve, shift or be used in the light of new evidence, unexpected discoveries, or more informed interpretations. In short, the paper argues that the complexities of netball's origin stories need to be further explored, understood, and embraced.

In this overview, succinct information is provided on how the recognition of the voices of athletes has developed over decades. Processes of continuity and transformation are outlined, which serve to highlight and create interest in the topics of the full papers connected with this collection. Following this preparation for ‘stepping into the topic’, a rationale is also presented regarding the order and grouping of the various studies. In essence, the sequence is based around three perspectives, namely: the lives and biographical profiles of athletes; the decision-making processes of, and for, athletes; and the formal and informal institutional representation of athletes. While the touchstone is primarily on the voices of athletes associated with Olympic-related sports, brief consideration is also given to the actions and opinions of athletes expressed in other sporting spheres. The paper concludes with a summary and acknowledgement of the institutional collaborations which have underpinned this work.

The biennial gatherings of the Australian Society for Sports History (ASSH) have always been designated as 'Sporting Traditions' conferences. The inaugural issue contained four papers, including a short article from Vamplew himself, and two others from future presidents of the Society, namely Colin Tatz, a scholar of race and sport and at that time a Professor of Politics at Macquarie University, and Ray Crawford, Head of the Physical Education Department at the Phillip Institute of Technology and also national convenor of the Australian Council of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation special interest group concerned with the history and philosophy of physical education and sport. Sporting Traditions has always been the flagship publication of ASSH. Thematic issues of the journal have appeared on an irregular basis, although it took until 1994 for the first one to appear, at Cashman's instigation.

Introduction Stephan Wassong, Michael Heine, and Rob Hess 1. Academic Return to the Global Sport Community after World War II - The Installation of the Sport University Cologne's First International Relations Ansgar Molzberger 2. The Diversity of National Sport Development Institutions Till Muller-Schoell 3. The International Olympic Committee's Tripartite Commission and Its Influence on the Foundation of the Athletes' Commission Stephan Wassong 4. Sport Aid: Famine Relief, Fun Runs, Fundraising Joerg Krieger 5. Melbourne's Status as an Olympic City: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives Richard Baka 6. Olympic Commodification and Civic Spaces at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games: A Political Topology of Contestation Michael Heine 7. More than a Miracle: The Korean War, Cold War Politics, and the 1960 Olympic Hockey Tournament MacIntosh Ross and E. K. Nagel 8. The Historical Background to Pakistan's Participation at the Olympic Games and Its Performances in Field Hockey, 1948-1956 Akhtar Nawaz and Rob Hess

Series Editors' Foreword Mark Dyreson, Thierry Terret, Rob Hess Introduction: Sport and Christianity: Historical Perspectives < An Introduction Hugh McLeod, Nils Martinius Justvik, and Rob Hess 1. Gymnastics, Physical Education, Sport, and Christianity in Germany Michael Kruger 2. A Sportful History of Christianity: The Case of Twentieth-Century Sweden Alexander Maurits and Martin Nykvist 3. Cultural Imperialism, Nationalism, and the Modernization of Physical Education and Sport in China, 1840<1949 Huijie Zhang, Fan Hong and Fuhua Huang 4. Mormon Missionaries and the Emergence of Modern Argentine Sport, 1938<1943 Ryan A. Davis 5.'Necessary Cessation from Toil and Work': Young Christian Workers and the Question of Sport on Sundays in Post-War Melbourne Melissa Jean Walsh and Nicholas Thomas Shaw Marshall 6.'If God Be for Us, Who Can Be Against Us?': Religion and Religiousness in Polish Football, 2008<2017 Michal Mazurkiewicz

It is easy to gain the impression from the copious literature that each Olympic Games has been carefully assessed by academics. Certainly, a wealth of detail and statistics have been generated about particular Olympic sports, the careers of prominent athletes and the performance of their respective nations on the unofficial medal table. However, some sports and some nations remain under-represented in the literature of the Games. This is especially the case with several post-colonial, non-Western countries and some sports that have had a relatively low-profile on the Olympic stage. In the case of Pakistan, formed after the partition of India in 1947, only a modest amount of medals have been won, and the majority of its Olympic success has been achieved in field hockey. The aim of this paper is to examine the historical background associated with Pakistan's early involvement in the Olympic Games (with a special focus on the example of field hockey), thereby expanding knowledge about a range of issues facing this Islamic country in the context of the development of elite sport.

This paper provides an overview of a collection of works related to sport and Christianity from historical perspectives. After a brief general historiographical introduction, the material connected to the burgeoning field of sport and religion is summarized. In particular, it is noted that the works concentrate on diverse geographic locations and different time periods. The investigations are not limited to a narrow definition of Christianity, but encompass a wide range of denominations, related philosophies, and viewpoints. In terms of variety, it is noted that different methodological and theoretical approaches are adopted, and, given the existing state of play, it is clear that there is still much to be uncovered, documented, and written about when it comes to the enduring topic of sport and Christianity. The conclusion is that any research agenda which emerges from observations on historical perspectives concerning the relationship of sport with aspects of Christianity will continue to resonate and add value to wider understandings of sport, culture, and the human condition.

1. Soft Power Politics, Hegemonic Realities and Eastern Promise: Changing Circumstances - 'Look East Young Man and Woman'! 2. Forging Imperial and Australasian Identities: Australian Rules Football in New Zealand During the Nineteenth Century 3. Women's Football in the People's Republic of China: Retrospect and Prospect 4. Pacific Islanders in Global Rugby: The Changing Currents of Sports Migration 5. Reflections on Race, Regionalism and Geopolitical Trends via Australian Soccer 6. The Significance of Koshien Baseball in Postwar Okinawa: A Representation of 'Okinawa' 7. Seeking a Separate National Identity: The Taiwanese State, Politics and the 2007 Baseball World Cup 8. Globalisation, Individualism and Scandal: New Directions in Japanese Baseball 9. An Indispensable but Fragile Geopolitical Triangle: Baseball in Japan, Korea and Taiwan 10. Epilogue: Sport on the Western Pacific Rim: The Present and the Future

The escalation of the First World War in 1916 led to a serious manpower drain on the Australian home front. This chapter follows these events as many footballers and spectators began to enlist in the war and it became increasingly difficult for football clubs to maintain playing lists and to hold their fiscal bottom line. As clubs tried to juggle these concerns they were also subjected to increased claims of disloyalty to the Empire’s cause. Many clubs and leagues went into recession due to the demands of the war but a hard core of devotees refused to buckle and the game continued, even if in a somewhat diminished stature.

The history and issues surrounding elite football in Japan have been addressed by a number of scholars. However, grassroots football, although fundamental to the development of the code, has rarely been explored in the academic literature. In Japan, the importance of grassroots football has received heightened attention by the Japanese Football Association (JFA) since 2003, with 20% growth in the number of registered players under 12years old from 2003 (262,956 players) to 2014 (315,178 players) a result of the JFA's initiatives in this area. Japan is currently one of the most successful countries in Asia in terms of grassroots football development and the JFA won the Asian Football Confederation's award, namely The Best Member Association of the Year 2013 for Grassroots Football'. This paper explores the key driver behind the development of grassroots football development, namely the 47 Prefectural Football Associations, which provide programmes and technical, physical and promotional services which include activities to increase opportunities, facilities, coach education, elite pathways, and competitions for grassroots football. The paper concludes that the factors which have resulted in the success of Japan's grassroots football revolve around governance of Prefectural Football Associations, coach education programmes, increased opportunities by clubs, leagues and schools, and collaboration with stakeholders within and outside of Prefectural Football Associations.