Australian Society for Sports History

ASSH was founded in 1983 at the fourth Sporting Traditions Conference. It has since then grown to be one of the world’s largest sports history organisations. Click on the link below to find out more about the Australian Society for Sports History, its constitution, Awards and Honours as well as its development.

The first foray into sports history in Australia took place at a conference organised by the University of New South Wales in 1977. “Sporting Traditions” conferences were later organised in 1979 and 1981. It was at the fourth Sporting Traditions conference in 1983 that the Australian Society for Sports History was founded. The Society’s first president was Colin Tatz (1985-87) and the Society launched the first issue of its journal, Sporting Traditions, in November 1984. Wray Vamplew was the first editor of Sporting Traditions and is credited with being the driving force behind ASSH in its early days.