The origins of sport in Valencia (1850-1931). From tradition to modernity

Abstract

In Valencia, the existence of sports practices has existed from time immemorial, some of these traditional sports are still present now and its practice has not stopped despite the great influence of other sporting disciplines brought from other places.
The arrival of these new sports to which we can call "modern" caused a change in the sports landscape, the entertainment and recreation in the Valencia of the second half of the XIX century and in the first third of the XX century. In this way, sport will become one of the favorite activities of Valencians as practice or as entertainment.
In the introduction of some of these modalities such as football, tennis, polo or hockey the residents of the foreign colony in the city, which will later join the young people of the wealthier classes will have a prominent role. They will see through the practice of these sports as an element of modernity and cosmopolitanism that brings them closer to their peers from the rest of western Europe.
Although, in the beginning the economic and social elites will be those who practice these sports and little by little, the most popular classes will gain access to some of these sports such as football, boxing and cycling.
The participation of women in the Valencian sports will be very limited and almost anecdotal.
Thus, we are witnesses in Valencia to a curious phenomenon, on the one hand, the survival of traditional sports, and on the other hand, the introduction of new modalities.