The British Society of Sports History, c.1982–2022: some reflections

Abstract

ABSTRACT We reflect here on the history of the British Society of Sports History (BSSH) from its inception in 1982 through to its fortieth anniversary in 2022. The origins of the Society are contextualised with reference to a burgeoning interest in the history of sport and physical education in the 1970s and early 1980s. The BSSH’s development is then considered with reference to its annual conferences, its membership, its publications and its recent initiatives seeking to promote sports history more widely. The contribution of women to the work of the Society is an underlying theme throughout, especially where it relates to gender inequity issues. This account draws extensively on the Society’s archive, as yet uncatalogued, most significantly papers deposited by Dr Richard William Cox, which will eventually be available for consultation at the Kimberlin Library, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK.