The emancipation years: Sport in the female colleges at the University of Sydney 1892-1958

This paper traces the development of sport in the two female residential colleges (Women’s and Sancta Sophia) at the University of Sydney. While the University of Sydney male residential colleges established an intercollegiate sporting competition in 1907 (Rawson Cup), it was not until 1958 that the female residential colleges established an intercollegiate competition (Archdale-Macrae Cup). This paper traces the history of female collegiate sport leading up to the establishment of the Archdale-Macrae Cup and argues that sport was an essential part of the intercollegiate experience and spirit.