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Women played sports in the military during WW2.

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Lots of sports were played during WW2. After the war, so many ex military members had experience playing that they made up 50% of players in college football. Women were also playing sports in the military during the war.

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Football was popular among prisoners in war camps. Especially with british soldiers who were captured.

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On 8 September 1939, the Football Association (FA) declared that all football except that organised by the armed forces was suspended 'until official notice to the contrary'. This was in contrast to 1914, when professional football had continued during the first year of war.

In 1939, the threat of air attack and the introduction of conscription made it impossible for football to continue as before. However, on 21 September, the Home Office agreed to allow a revised programme of football as long as it didn't interfere with national service and industry. Crowds were limited to 8,000 in evacuation areas and 15,000 elsewhere. There was a limited regional league and cup programme. Home internationals and inter-service matches also took place and football remained a popular spectator sport on the home front.

Players were called up into the forces or drafted into war work. Grounds were also badly affected by air raid damage and changes of use. When Arsenal's Highbury ground became an Air Raid Precautions (ARP) centre they had to ground share with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

In all three services, football was encouraged as a way to keep troops fit, active and entertained.

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10 Facts About Football In The Second World War

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On 8 September 1939, the Football Association (FA) declared that all football except that organised by the armed forces was suspended 'until official notice to the contrary'. This was in contrast to 1914, when professional football had continued during the first year of war.

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Lots of NHL players put their hockey careers on hold to serve in the military in WW2. The co-owner of the Maple Leafs also joined the military. So it wasn't just players, but owners and coaches. Maureice Rocket Richard couldn't join because of an injury but he played overseas to boost soldiers mental health.

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First World War

Military hockey teams were created across Canada early on in the war. There were games between battalions, games between military members and civilians, and well-known matches in which the navy faced the army. Military hockey teams attracted lots of attention, such as the 228th Battalion (Northern Fusiliers) who even played in a professional league. As the war dragged on, more and more men were needed on the front lines. Hockey themes were even used in posters to encourage military service! Large number of young men ended up enlisting, creating a void in many arenas and women's hockey suddenly became very popular.

The Memorial Cup was first awarded in 1919, one year after the end of the First World War. It is now awarded each year to the junior hockey champions of the Canadian Hockey League. The cup was donated in 1919 by the Ontario Hockey Association. Since then, the format of the tournament to decide the winner of the cup has been altered a few times, but a key element remains-it is always a powerful symbol of remembrance. At the 2010 Memorial Cup Tournament, held in Brandon, Manitoba, the championship trophy was rededicated to recognize Canada's war dead from all conflicts. Veterans from the Second World War and the Korean War escorted the Memorial Cup in a touching ceremony that took place at CFB Shilo.

Few Canadian hockey teams have won gold at the Olympic Games. For the Winnipeg Falcons, this accomplishment was even more special due to the fact that seven of its players served during the First World War. Sadly, Frank Thorsteinson and George Cumbers lost their lives, and by coincidence, they both are buried in the Barlin War Cemetery in France. This tough blow did not prevent teammates Wally Byron, Frank Fredrickson, Konnie Johannesson as well as brothers Bobbie and Harvey Benson to don the skates during the war and play on their battalion's team. After the war, the Winnipeg Falcons team was put back together and they went on to win the Allan Cup in 1919-1920, making them the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. This title granted them the right to represent Canada at the 1920 Olympics games in Antwerp, Belgium. The first Winter Olympics (better suited for hockey!) would be held four years later. The victorious Falcons brought home Canada's first-ever Olympic gold medal in hockey.

Second World War

In Toronto, co-owner of the Maple Leafs, Conn Smythe (who had been decorated for bravery in the First World War) enlisted again at age 45. Leading by example, many Maple Leaf players also decided to join the war effort. Smythe was commanding an artillery battery in France when he was wounded in an enemy bombing attack. To this day, the National Hockey League trophy for the most valuable player in the playoffs is named in his honour. As Veteran Gordie Bannerman recalled in his memoirs, "Turk Broda of the Leafs and a few more NHL chaps were just overseas and had the help of Conn Smythe, Leafs owner, who commanded an artillery battery. Orme Payne, Sparky Ament, Darcy Spencer, Bob Bradley, and a couple more of our chaps, plus personnel were off to Amsterdam to play hockey. The fellows had a pretty good few weeks in the city of canals."

Some players, like Maurice "Rocket" Richard, could not enlist because of injuries they had received during their hockey careers. Other players enlisted but did not make it to the front lines. Having them play hockey either in Canada or in military camps overseas proved to be a pillar of strength for both civilians and the military. Highly competitive regimental hockey teams were formed, serving such purposes as keeping the men fit and entertaining the serving members on military bases.

The war also had a huge impact on the Canadian economy. Various peace-time factories were converted to supply much needed products for the war effort. For example, the Canadian Cycle and Motor Co. Ltd. of Weston, Ontario, which had made bicycles and hockey skates before the war, took over the manufacture of armaments including gun parts, tripods for Bren guns, and cradles and pivots for anti-tank guns.

While firm numbers are elusive, hundreds of Canadian hockey players from all leagues would end up serving during the Second World War and sadly, more than 50 would not survive.

Following the Second World War, the 1948 Winter Olympic Games were held in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Many of the players on the Royal Canadian Air Force Flyers hockey team, representing Canada, were Veterans of the war. Despite a challenging tournament, the men finished in first place. In 2000, the 1948 Royal Canadian Air Force Flyers' gold medal win was selected as the "greatest moment in Canadian Armed Forces sports history" and the team was inducted into the Canadian Olympics Hall of Fame in 2008.

Korean War

Post-war years

Hockey in the desert was helping boost the morale of our military but Afghanistan was a dangerous place to serve, and sadly some 158 CAF members lost their lives there during the course of our country's 2001-2014 mission in the country. Many of our service members came back wounded, and stories of severely injured soldiers like Dominic Larocque demonstrate yet again the ties between hockey and the military. Losing a leg in Afghanistan, Larocque went through rehabilitation and was introduced to sledge hockey where he performed so well that he was selected to represent Canada in international competitions including the Paralympic Games. The team won a bronze medal in Sochi, Russia in 2014.

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History - Hockey and the Canadian military - Remembering those who served - Remembrance - Veterans Affairs Canada

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WW2 caused a women's pro baseball league

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WW2 caused a women's pro baseball league

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Many pro baseball players were serving during the war and baseball organizers worried about the future of the MLB. A women's league was created with players from the US, Canada and Cuba that was popular for 10 years. The league ended because the war ended and there were lots of men to play.

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How World War II Spurred a Decade of Women’s Pro Baseball | HISTORY

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The league was supposed to be temporary, but went on for 12 seasons.

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Football was popular in the military during WW2.

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Football boosted mental and physical health

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Football boosted mental and physical health

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Football helped soldiers to forget about the horrible things happening during war and helped to keep them fit so that they could be better soldiers.