Field Hockey in Lisander

Field Hockey is the most popular sport among women in Lisander. Over the decades, it has seen the evolution of women's rights and actively played host to their demands. Established by a "rebellion" of female youngsters against rigid etiquette rules within the clubs of Soria conservative elite at the beginning of the 20th century, liberating girls from a mere decorative role, from an endless doldrums where they only saw their fathers, brothers and husbands playing sports. They took the stick in their hands, showed they were better than men and solidified their league, Metro Hockey, years before traditional rugby.

History

Sports for women in a gilded age

At the beginning of the last century, despite the established equality between men and women before the law and religion, in social groups, women, especially young single women, ended up being patronized by a generation that imposed many limiting social norms by the standards of our days.

The high society of the country's large centers was essentially English-speaking, very Victorian, prudish and somewhat conservative. At that time, when Alice Bay was still a colony, British customs were fashionable. Everything that came from Britannia was better than what was available in the country. Local surnames were changed to "sound foreign", and even sports were not without their share of blame for this. See the names of the elite clubs: Victorian, St. Helens, Elysium, Linville Athletic, "Old Boys" in every British school.

To live in this society of appearances, the fashion among women was to be "fragile". The ideal proposed for the high-class woman of the final decades of the 19th century was based on elegance and restraint. An apparent "fragility" would be welcome when it comes to finding a husband. Female political participation has declined and there has been a drastic change even in hobbies.

Josephine Bowles, in her book "New Etiquette for Young Ladies", wrote:

"Typically military activities, such as fencing and shooting, are inappropriate for a good wife, as they create the perception that a woman is violent or impulsive. Riding is a healthy habit, mirroring those of the haute noblesse, but it is unnecessary to use a lot of speed, or to jump over obstacles , in order to avoid being considered a virago."

Virago, in fact, was one of the worst insults that could be done to an elite woman at the time. Being seen as masculine was not worse than being seen as vulgar. "With the exception of lasciviousness and vulgarity, there is nothing worse for a lady than to have rude and masculine habits, for the latter, if not treated in time, are what lead to the former.", says Bowles in another excerpt from his book.

The era of the Clubs

By the early 1900s, the Clubs, imported by and for this same elite, were a newbrought "dangerous influence". While they were seen as something positive, helping children to develop and adults to stay physically fit, physical activities could be a problem to the etiquette-guided mothers if they became "too competitive". As clubs were been formed, while men wanted to play rugby or football, for the women, table games such as Chess, Checkers (providentially called Jeu de Dames), or cards were common. There are reports that clubs offered a weekly billiards day just for women, but it was not as successful. In outdoor sports, it was possible to see women playing tennis, golf and croquet. Those who did not strictly follow Bowles' rules, venturing into sports such as riding horses, fencing and shooting, usually had a background that preceded them, being daughters or relatives of military personnel, which had their own clubs, such as the Navy Officers' Club, the Club d'Escrime and the Army Club.

Team sports should generally be ignored because they are extremely physical, with the exception of field hockey, as long as it is in moderation. The small ball game had been brought to rugby for boys who were "less physically fit", but was soon dominated by women, especially younger ones. At first, some clubs listened to complaints from disgruntled relatives and tried to impose limitations, such as banning female players from running or limiting their time on the field. Many mothers, of course, were horrified. Alice Cordelier, a young Victorian Club player, once wrote in her diary:

Saturday, June 14, 1902. After a lot of insisting and a lot of promising that I wouldn't run too much and wouldn't arrive for lunch sweaty and out of breath like a rugby player, mom allowed me to play hockey once again. Not before that torrent of uncomfortable words. "Instead of staying here and enjoying the day like a classy lady, you want to run like a crazy person after a ball. It's an insult that your father allows this!" Little does she know that my father bought me a pair of boots and a new stick. We already have twelve girls playing. Rosie Arquette told me that there are already sixteen at Saint Helen's, including two of her cousins who play there. I would like to play against them one day.

Cordelier's dream didn't take long to come true. The number of female players continued to increase between 1902 and 1904. The younger girls watched the older ones play and naturally became interested. The girls reached adulthood and didn't want to stop playing. At clubs, the level of support was varied. There were those, like Alice's father, who approved the idea, seeing in it a positive change in female habits, an effective acceptance by young women of the culture of physical activity that was so valued in those circles. Others, more conservative, still remained faithful to the idea that female activities should be more delicate.

Pro Feminis Quoque: the culture of clubs backs the hockey players

It was effectively the mobilization of young players, their resistance and their negotiation and oratory skills that made the sport capable of overcoming the norms of etiquette. The board of directors of the Saint Helens Club was the first to effectively promote hockey among girls in Lisander. Realizing the effort and enthusiasm of the club's young women in defending their sport, and regarding it as an example of club activity, on May 25, 1904, The Club published a note entitled "MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO, PRO FEMINIS QUOQUE" (A healthy mind in a healthy body is also for women), published in the Soria Herald, the most read newspaper at the time, demonstrating support for women's hockey, and hardening the words against certain social columnists who saw the women's game as a "reprehensible" activity:

"A request came to our attention from a committee formed by Misses Luísa Tíflis, Elena Miller and Patricia Alencar, members of the Saint Helen's Club and field hockey players. The three ladies, with the support of more than one hundred and ten members, including other field hockey athletes, rugby players, footballers, their relatives, friends and directors of this club, requested that a decision be taken regarding inappropriate comments propagated by some people, offending the dignity of our club. Such comments, published by newspapers in this capital, slandered the clubs, calling them virago trainers, for allowing girls between the ages of thirteen and twenty-one to practice "reprehensible activities" like hockey. This is a big lie.

There is no justifiable reason to prevent women from playing sports suited to their physical type, such as hockey. While we deliberated about it, we have been made aware there are ladies playing organized hockey even in Britannia and Hibernia, with reasonable success, so that means the sport is viable from a organizational standpoint. Saying that it is a reprehensible activity is equally untrue; In more than a year of practice, there has never been a single injury on the field while the ladies played. On the other hand, rugby players always need some ice at the end of each game, which is natural for such a physical game. It is known and constantly touted by clubs, medical societies, schools, the armed forces and all people of common sense that physical activity brings many benefits to the human body and mind. Robbing our ladies of this benefit goes against the basic purpose of our club. Or do fashionistas and chroniclers of "high society" believe that our girls, maidens and ladies are not human beings? More reprehensible than seeing them perhaps a little aphonic, flushed or tired from a little physical activity is seeing them pale, apathetic and bored, wasting their time with fads and nonsense that will only make them unhappy, making them weak and sick. May the 'matchmakers' forgive us if we give you extra work, but the standard of female beauty at Saint Helen's is that of healthy girls, with rosy cheeks and cheerful smiles. Forgive our use of words, but sweat comes out in the shower, and we have excellent facilities for this, safe from all kinds of stalkers. Our hockey team will continue to be active and receive all the support it deserves.

We understand that creating a strong and healthy society involves practicing physical and sporting activities, and we are aware that other clubs also offer sports support for the ladies. We invite our sister clubs to do the same. Reflect on the values we preach, as a community, and support your daughters as you support your sons.

Yours sincerely,

St. Helen's Club, Soria."

Pro Feminis Quoque demonstrated the importance that Saint Helen's Club had in society. The response notes were mostly supportive. Soon, the other clubs followed the trend and the girls were able to practice in relative peace from then on. Still in the same year, a "La Liga de Soria Ladies Championship" was organized between the four clubs then part of the league: St. Helens, Victorian, Club d'Escrime and Linville Athletic. The four clubs founded, on that occasion, the Union of Female Hockey Clubs, which would later become the Metropolitan Hockey League in 1911, and help to found the Royal Lisander Hockey Federation in 1941.

The age of growth

The First World War would bury the social norms of the previous century once and for all, and as the decades passed, field hockey stopped being "reprehensible" and became the favorite team sport among women. Some historians argue that this was "because it was the only team sport women could have." Others refute this analysis and present field hockey as an activity based on recognition of the place of gender and sisterhood, initially among elite women, later extended to all locations and social classes. While URSA (Rugby Union of Soria and Azhaar) was much more selective, which alienated the humbler layers of Rugby until professionalization in the 1990s, LMH was quick to grow, accepting equally elite clubs such as Elysium and Astrea , teams from outside the capital such as Excelsior Sirenia and Athletic Club Casterwill, and also clubs such as Club Sparta, a club whose "worker affiliation" kept it away from rugby for decades, and Racing Club de Soria, formed from a popular football club.

At the same time, although with limitations, the sport began to be practiced in other locations outside the southeast. Despina, Porto Gris, Grandeville and Lerna developed the sport, albeit in limited terms. In the north, field hockey was seen as a safer and more viable alternative for women to its cooler sister. Clubs such as Sendas Athletic (now Beaumont Athletic) adopted women's field hockey as a counterpart to men's ice hockey.