Oral History Interview: Anita White

Partial Transcript: WHITE: Yes, erm, so my name's Anita White, erm, I was born, er, in August 1945.

Segment Synopsis: White introduces herself stating her name and date of birth.

Keywords: Date of birth

Partial Transcript: WHITE: Erm, I played for Buckinghamshire, the South and England.

Segment Synopsis: White recalls her route into club and county hockey via netball and tennis at school. She discusses her initial failure to make county level before going on to represent Devon, East Kent, Buckinghamshire and the South.

Keywords: Athletics; Bideford; Buckinghamshire (county); Centre Half; Devon (county); East Kent (county); Edgehill College; England; Left Half; Netball; PE College; School; Slough Hockey Club; Slough--United Kingdom (UK); Southern Counties Womens Hockey Association (SCWHA)/South (territory); Teaching; Tennis; Trials; Wembley Stadium; Winger

Subjects: Captaincy; Hockey Homes, Venues & Stadia; Life Outside of Hockey--Career; Teams--Girls--County; Teams--Girls--School; Teams--Women--Club; Teams--Women--College & University; Teams--Women--County; Teams--Women--International; Teams--Women--Territory

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: How did it feel to be selected for England the first time?
WHITE: [laughs]
SOMERVILLE: How did you hear?
WHITE: [laughs] Oh, that was fantastic.

Segment Synopsis: White recalls how she heard of her selection for England and her memories of playing at Wembley Stadium.

Keywords: Aukland--New Zealand; Berkshire College of Education; Dance; England; New Zealand; Teaching; Wembley Stadium

Subjects: Hockey Homes, Venues & Stadia; IFWHA Conference & Tournament--1971 Aukland; Life Outside of Hockey--Career; Teams--Women--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: How did the trip to New Zealand go?

Segment Synopsis: White recalls her part in the England world tour either side of the Aukland 1971 IFWHA Conference and Tournament

Keywords: Aukland--New Zealand; Australia; Ceylon; England; Fiji; Hong Kong--China; Jamaica; New Zealand; Sri Lanka; Substitute; Tour

Subjects: IFWHA Conference & Tournament--1971 Aukland; International Travel; Social & Friendships; Teams--Women--International; Teams--Women--Touring; Tournaments--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: And then the following year you, er...
WHITE: The following year I was dropped to the B Team, er, along with a lot of others that have, erm, from that group.

Segment Synopsis: White recalls England's unexpected victory in the 1975 IFWHA World Championship in Edinburgh, Scotland and the celebrations afterwards.

Keywords: Alcohol; Argentina; Edinburgh--United Kingdom (UK); England; Final; Grays; Nancy Tomkins; New Zealand; Scotland; Wales

Subjects: Dinners; IFWHA World Championship--1975 Edinburgh; Kit & Equipment; Media; Social & Friendships; Teams--Women--International; Tournaments--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: Did you see much of your club while you were playing international level?

Segment Synopsis: White recalls the various club teams she played for and discusses the impact of international hockey on her clubs.

Keywords: Chichester--United Kingdom (UK); England; Guilford Hockey Club; Royal Ascot Hockey Club; Slough Hockey Club

Subjects: Amateurism & Professionalism; Teams--Women--Club; Teams--Women--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: So, your England career lasted...
WHITE: Yes.
SOMERVILLE: ...to '76?
WHITE: Yes.
SOMERVILLE: And, and then did you retire from international hockey?

Segment Synopsis: White discusses her retirement from hockey in following the IFWHA World Championship of 1975. Not wanting to play at a lesser level, she goes on to discuss her transition to coaching.

Keywords: Academia; Berkshire (county); Bermuda; Buckinghamshire (county); Colorado--United States of America (USA); England; Middlesex (county); Sussex (county); Vancouver--Canada; Wembley Stadium

Subjects: Captaincy; Coaching & Management--Club; Hockey Homes, Venues & Stadia; IFWHA World Championship--1975 Edinburgh; IFWHA World Championship--1979 Vancouver; Life Outside of Hockey--Career; Life Outside of Hockey--Retirement; Teams--Women--County; Teams--Women--International

Partial Transcript: WHITE: Yes, still, still trying to develop my academic career. By that time I was a lecturer at, erm, what was Bishop Otter College. Ah, and I did a Masters degree and then a Doctorate in the early '80s.

Segment Synopsis: White discusses her transition to academia following her retirement from international hockey and elaborates on her thesis subject.

Keywords: Academia; Bishop Otter College; Colorado--United States of America (USA); Doctorate (PhD); Masters Degree; Netherlands; United States of America (USA)

Subjects: Life Outside of Hockey--Career; Teams--Women--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: Once you'd done your, your coaching and, indeed, you've been coaching now, how did you get brought back into the England setup?

Segment Synopsis: White recalls her involvement in founding the Women In Sport Foundation.

Keywords: AstroTurf/Artificial Turf; Conference; Cricket; English Sports Council; Football (Soccer); Grassroots; International Federation of Womens Hockey Associations (IFWHA); International Hockey Federation (FIH); Rugby; Women In Sport Foundation; Women In Sport Network

Subjects: Association Liquidation & Mergers; Associations--International; Coaching & Management--Club; Life Outside of Hockey--Career; Playing Surfaces; Prejudice & Inequality--Gender

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: What are you currently doing?
WHITE: Well, right now I'm, erm, I'm involved with the Anita White Foundation at the University of Chichester.

Segment Synopsis: White discusses her current work with the Anita White Foundation which evolved out of the Women In Sport Foundation and combines feminist activism with scholarship. She goes on to speculate on the changes she would implement within women's sport given the chance and recalls a particular anecdote concerning Sports Personality of the Year.

Keywords: Academia; Activism; Africa; Anita White Foundation (AWF); Ann Jones; Archive; Botswana; Boxing; Canoeing; Conference; England; Feminism; Football (Soccer); International Football Federation (FIFA); John Conteh; Leadership Academy; Olympics/Olympic Games; Scholarship; Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY); Tennis; University of Chichester; Women In Sport Foundation

Subjects: History & Heritage; IFWHA World Championship--1975 Edinburgh; Life Outside of Hockey--Career; Media; Olympic Games--2012 London; Prejudice & Inequality--Gender; Recollection of Others--Non-hockey Athlete; Teams--Women--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: Looking back at your hockey career...
WHITE: Yes.
SOMERVILLE: ...How important do you think it is in your current work, in women in sport generally, that you have achieved what you have achieved in hockey?

Segment Synopsis: White discusses how her sporting success has complimented and empowered her in the academic arena.

Keywords: Alex Danson; All England Womens Hockey Association (AEWHA); Brenda Reid; Canada; England; Executive Committee; Leadership; Tour; Umpire

Subjects: Administration & Finances--National; Associations--National; Captaincy; Coaching & Management--International; Life Outside of Hockey--Career; Recollection of Others--Coach & Manager; Recollection of Others--Player; Teams--Women--International; Teams--Women--Touring

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: You've had a very successful career, both in, in hockey and academia; have you made any mistakes that you really regret?

Segment Synopsis: White discusses her regret at not being able to better unify the Home Nations as President of Great Britain Hockey before examining her personal achievements and recalling the pioneering impact of the Wembley matches.

Keywords: Bereavement; England; England Hockey (EH); Godmother; Great Britain Hockey; Hockey Wales; ITV; Kathy Malcolm/Kathleen Malcolm; President; Scotland; Scottish Hockey; Television; Wales; Wembley Stadium

Subjects: Administration & Finances--National; Associations--National; Hockey Homes, Venues & Stadia; Media; Reunion; Social & Friendships; Teams--Women--International