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8 Mar 2023

Rugby Football League celebrates International Women’s Day

Rugby Football League celebrates International Women’s Day

The Rugby Football League today celebrates International Women’s Day and  highlights the significant progress that has been made in the women’s and girl’s game in recent years.

Since the launch of the RFL’s ‘Inspiring a Nation’ strategy in 2016 the women’s and girl’s game has gone from strength to strength. 

  • The number of women’s and girl’s teams has increased by more than 200%. The girl’s community game now has over 130 teams from 57 clubs competing this year 
  • At RLWC2021 Women’s Rugby League took its place alongside the Men’s and Wheelchair competitions in the most inclusive World Cup yet, with both the Women’s Final taking place at Old Trafford 
  • The Women’s Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final have become key live broadcasts for Sky Sports and the BBC, and this year the Women’s Challenge Cup Final will take place alongside the Men’s at Wembley Stadium for the first time ever 
  • In 2023 Sky Sports will show six Betfred Women’s Super League fixtures live, featuring the three teams who contested last year’s major finals: champions Leeds Rhinos, Challenge Cup holders St Helens and the League Leaders’ Shield winners York Valkyrie 
  • RLWC21 saw Belinda Sharpe and Kasey Badger make history when they were appointed referees of a men’s international fixture and, in another sign of the progress being made in Women’s Rugby League, there is now a dedicated female match officials’ group
  • The 2022 HeRLegacy sessions, supported by the National Lottery, were delivered after the World Cup by England Women internationals such as Grace Field and Tara Stanley and introduced hundreds of girls aged 5-16 to Rugby League 
  • The women’s and girl’s game has also benefited from significant financial support from Sport England through the ‘Together Fund’ and the ‘Tackling Inequalities Fund.’ 
  • Rugby League now offers educational opportunities into the game through the Diploma of Sports Education and a female coaching leadership programme, making the game accessible to women who want to participate in a way other than playing

 

Jodie Cunningham, St Helens captain and the RFL’s National Women’s and Girls Development Manager, says: 

“I love International Women’s Day because it gives us all a chance to reflect on the great things that have happened and highlight some of the ways in which we can improve.”

“For me, the women’s game has got to a point which I couldn’t even imagine it would get to and the growth we have seen in the last five years is more than we had made in the 25 years before that.”

“We have huge playing numbers now and from 2024 we will have a tiered national pyramid in the women’s competition where we will have games played in the Midlands, North, and the South so there are some really exciting times ahead.”