Barrow Raiders have announced the appointment of Amanda Wilkinson as their new Barrow Raiders Ladies Head Coach.
Wilkinson joins the club with an impressive CV, including being the coach of Wigan Warriors when they won the first ever Women’s Grand Final in 2018.
She made history by becoming Rugby League's first female Level 3 qualified coach, and has worked with the likes of Leeds City Council as the Rugby League Development Officer, Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors.
The former Women’s and Girls Development Officer and Community Coach at Leeds is also currently involved with Serbia Men’s team as Assistant Coach, and the Women’s team as Head Coach, while also heading up development for Rugby League for girls and ladies in Serbia working with schools and clubs.
Wilkinson will take charge of Barrow Raiders Ladies ahead of their inaugural season in the Super League after they were promoted to join the 10 Betfred Women Super League clubs.
Barrow will join Super League Group 2 in 2022 alongside Leigh Miners Rangers, Bradford Bulls, Featherstone Rovers, Wakefield Trinity and Warrington Wolves.
"It's exciting times ahead and I'm proud to be the Head Coach of a Cumbrian Super League team," said Wilkinson.
"I'm looking forward to getting started with pre-season.
"I aim to make the individual players and team the best they can be and become a competitor in their first season in the Women's Super League.
"I will look to build on the wonderful foundations that are currently in place at the club as a result of the hard work and commitment from the previous coach and his team.
"To achieve this I will draw upon my knowledge and experience of 20-years in performance coaching.
"Being born in Barrow and growing up in Ulverston I have so many great memories.
"As an athlete during my teenage years, I represented Cumbria in many competitions, so to get the opportunity to come back to the area as a female Level 3 coach and be able to inspire the next generation of women in this community is something I feel very passionate about.
"Me and my boys had many good times in the stands at Barrow, cheering on the Raiders, so it will be great to see them back in the stands cheering on the Raiders Ladies in my support."
Wilkinson will also continue her role as Rugby League High Performance Coach at the University of Central Lancashire alongside her new role with the Raiders.
"I'm loving my role at University Of Central Lancashire as an High Performance Rugby League Coach," she added.
"As Head Coach of the men's team, I am aiming to improve performance and to achieve promotion for next season. I'm currently recruiting students for the next academic year, whilst enjoying my coaching with the team.
"Life in an education sector is very rewarding whilst challenging, but great that it allows me to be able to keep developing as a coach in roles such as Barrow Ladies and the National Serbian team."
On the appointment, Chairman Steve Neale added: "Amanda was just the sort of person we were looking for to take us to the next level in Super League.
"We actively pursued her for the position and we think that this is not only a statement of intent but will hopefully be the catalyst for some top talent throughout the County to join the Raiders for an opportunity to play Super League.
"We will be announcing a trial date in the not-too-distant future with Amanda wanting to focus on moulding a high quality squad whilst at the same time the club wanting to continue to provide opportunities for the growth of the female game."
