In Victorian times, sport for women was frowned upon as "unladylike." It was even thought that strenuous exercise was dangerous to a woman's health and would undermine her fertility. Girls had callisthenics lessons in school in which exercises were done together by groups of pupils to develop graceful movement and good posture.      

Even in some of the high schools which were founded in the nineteenth century to give girls a better education, competitive sport was thought to be unsuitable for girls. When Dorothea Beale, the headmistress of Cheltenham Ladies' College, saw her pupils playing hockey she protested that, "The children will hurt themselves if they all run about after one ball. Get some more balls at once."

For a younger generation of women, however, the exhilaration of sport was irresistible. Tennis was introduced into the Manchester High School curriculum in 1883 by two of its teachers, Miss Steedman and Miss McCroben. They had played tennis when they were students at Cambridge. In 1894 they founded the Lancashire Girls' Lawn Tennis League. The first League tournament was played on the tennis court at the home of one of the school's founders, Edward Donner. Manchester High School won the League shield in that year. After they won the tournament again in 1899 and in the two succeeding years they were allowed to keep the shield as a sign of the school's success.

Women began to play hockey in the 1880s. The All England Women's Hockey Association was set up in 1895. Hockey was introduced to Manchester High School in the 1890s by Miss Steedman and Miss Harrison. The school did not have a sports field and games had to be played on the asphalt playground.

Netball was first played in England in 1895. It was adapted from the American game, basketball. The first rules for netball were drawn up in 1901. It was not introduced at Manchester High School until after the First World War.

Until the 1890s, sport at Manchester High School and other girls' high schools was an "extra" part of the curriculum. Games were played in the afternoon after normal lessons and were voluntary. Sara Burstall, Manchester High School's second headmistress, reorganised the timetable to incorporate more regular games lessons. The School Magazine for 1899 reports that: "All Manchester High School girls will be pleased to hear of the new arrangements for games. One afternoon in the week is set aside for tennis and on the remaining four afternoons hockey will be played, weather permitting, between 2.30 and 4.00, thus enabling all girls to enjoy this very exciting game. Rounders and other games will also be arranged. For some time past, fives courts have been talked of, it having been suggested that the piece of waste ground at the end of the playground might be utilised for this purpose. The idea was first put forward by Miss Burstall and was eagerly taken up by the older girls. We hope that the suggestion some day may be carried out when funds allow."