Field Hockey Player's Injury Raises a Co-Ed Debate

Girl was hit in face by shot from male player eligible to play because there is no boys' team
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 6, 2023 1:56 PM CST
Field Hockey Injury Raises Debate on Co-Ed Athletes
Stock image of a field hockey stick and ball.   (Getty / Augustas Cetkauskas)

A high school player on her school's field hockey team in Massachusetts suffered serious injuries when an opponent inadvertently struck her in the face with a hard shot. The reason the story is making headlines is that the player who fired the ball is a rarity in the sport: a male player. As WCVB in Massachusetts reports, the incident has renewed a debate about whether the state should change its rules in the name of student safety. In the incident, the girl from Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School suffered "significant facial and dental injuries" when the ball off the stick of a male player from Swampscott High School struck her at close range, said Dighton-Rehoboth superintendent Bill Runey.

"While I understand that the MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) has guidelines in place for co-ed participation under section 43 of their handbook, this incident dramatically magnifies the concerns of many about player safety," Runey said in a statement. Under state law, the male student is allowed to play on his school's team because Swampscott does not have a team for boys. The athletic director at Swampscott offered sympathy for the injured player but defended the male student's right to play.

"The Swampscott player who took the shot is a 4-year varsity player and co-captain who, per MIAA rules, has the exact same right to participate as any player on any team," said Kelly Wolff, per WPRI. Runey said he was not faulting the male player. Instead, he said the incident should at least prompt rules requiring better equipment, reports the Taunton Daily Gazette. "The easiest thing to do would be to change the guidelines in terms of requiring protective headwear that has a full facemask, much like softball," he said. The injured girl is out of the hospital, and details about the extent of her injuries weren't made public. (More field hockey stories.)

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