Massachusetts school calls for change after female field hockey player hurt by male opponent’s shot

DIGHTON – Dighton-Rehoboth school officials are calling for change after a female player on the school’s field hockey team was hit in the mouth by a ball off the stick of a male on the Swampscott High School team.

It happened during the third quarter of a Thursday playoff game that Swampscott went on to win by a 2-0 margin.

Dighton-Rehoboth superintendent Bill Runey said the player suffered “significant facial and dental injuries” and was hospitalized. 

The MIAA allows males to play on female teams under the Massachusetts Equal Rights Amendment when there is not a male equivalent team.

“However, seeing the horror in the eyes of our players and coaches upon greeting their bus [Thursday] night is evidence to me that there has to be a renewed approach by the MIAA to protect the safety of our athletes,” Runey said about the incident, which he said “dramatically magnifies the concerns of many about player safety.”

Swampscott athletics director Kelly Wolff defended the male player’s right to play in the sport.

“We are sorry to see any player get hurt and wish the Dighton-Rehoboth player a speedy recovery,” Wolff said, according to WPRI. “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.”

The MIAA also issued a statement defending the rule.

“We respect and understand the complexity and concerns that exist regarding student safety. However, student safety has not been a successful defense to excluding students of one gender from participating on teams of the opposite gender,” the organization said, via WPRI.

Runey said the state should put conditions on what positions males can play in certain sports.

“In years past, there were provisions in girls’ volleyball that, although boys could participate, they could not play on the front line because their ability to spike the ball created a higher level of risk,” Runey said. “I have been told that those restrictions were deemed illegal and no longer exist.”

The superintendent also suggested potential equipment changes could protect players from high shots, specifically “full-faced helmets.”