Australian Society for Sports History (ASSH) was formed in July 1983. The aim of the Society is to encourage discussion on sport history in Australia through research, publishing and events such as conferences and workshops.
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Background
The Society was formed during the Sporting Traditions VI Conference held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in July 1983. The inaugural President was Colin Tatz.
Sporting Traditions Conference
ASSH biannually hosts a national conference called Sporting Traditions. The first Conference in 1977 was organised by Richard Cashman and Michael McKernan to bring together academics with an interest in the history of sport. The conference proceedings were published in the bookSport in history : the making of modern sporting history. Many papers presented at the Conference are published in the Society's journal Sporting Traditions.
Journals
The Society publishes two journals. Sporting Traditions is an semi-annual academic journal that has been published since November 1984. The inaugural editor was Wray Vamplew. It includes academic articles and book reviews. ASSH Bulletin is published on regular basis that covers short articles and news.
ASSH Studies Papers
The Society publishes compiltations of papers on a range of topics including specific sports, law, gender, Olympics and indigenous Australians.
Oxford Companion to Australian Sport
The Society was responsible for creating the Oxford Companion to Australian Sport. Most members of the Society provided entries on all aspects of the history of sport in Australia. The first edition was published by Oxford University Press in 1992 and updated in 1994. Contributing editors were Wary Vamplew, Katharine Moore, John O'Hara, Richard Cashman and Ian Jobling.