Massachusetts girls field hockey team forfeits game due to male player

DIGHTON, Mass. (WPRI) — The Dighton-Rehoboth girls field hockey team has forfeited their upcoming game under a new athletic policy that was passed in June.

Somerset-Berkley has a boy on their team, which is allowed under state law when a school doesn’t offer a male alternative for the sport.

After a Dighton-Rehoboth field hockey player was seriously injured by a male player’s shot last season, the district’s school committee passed an updated policy allowing teams to opt out of a game.

Dighton-Rehoboth Superintendent Bill Runey said, “There are times where we have to place a higher value on safety than on victory.”

NewsNation affiliate WPRI has reached out to Somerset-Berkley and are waiting to hear back.

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