Hi Hugh,
Thanks for your post and highlighting this. At younger ages, mixed sports teams are certainly the way to go. It is great that both genders had the chance to see just how capable the other is, when playing on the same team.
As someone who attended a mixed rural school as a child, this was always the case. However, in recent times the school competitions have reverted back to all boys’ and all girls’. Many rural schools are now amalgamating to enter teams in these competitions. It begs the question as to the level of progress being made in some cases…