A four-week development programme aimed at identifying the female Rugby League players of the future concluded this week with a series of games at the John Charles Centre of Sport in Leeds.
Girls Talent Hubs - overseen by the Rugby Football League’s (RFL) England Performance Pathway - is a core skill development programme which involves more than 140 girls aged under 15 and 16 taking part in sessions that are planned and delivered by volunteer staff all of whom have a strong presence in Women and Girls’ Rugby League.
The aim of the programme is to help identify young players who have the potential to play in the Women's Super League and represent England.
The RFL’s Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) Manager, Connor Meese, explains:
"It's an incredibly exciting time for Women and Girls Rugby League in this country, the 2021 World Cup has helped to inspire the next generation to start playing the game and in 2023 we were delighted to offer more programme activity than ever before to our most promising young players.
“The volunteer staff have provided an excellent welcoming environment, enabling the young players to develop enormously over the training block. I’m extremely excited to see some of these players at next year’s hubs and progress to the next DiSE cohort.”
England Women Rugby League Head Coach and RFL Head of Female Pathways, Stuart Barrow, adds:
“The standard of Rugby League on display across the training sessions and games shows the progression of the game in the last twelve months, this is mainly due to the continued hard work of the community clubs. The hubs are the first step on the performance pathway and play a vital role in not only developing players but staff too.”
The next step in the female performance pathway, post under 16, is the Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) programme run by the RFL’s Performance Department. The national programme welcomes Years 12 and 13 girls who have the potential to reach the top level of the women’s game with 30 places available every academic year for a new group of Year 12 students who study full time at school or college.
DiSE is a ‘dual career’ performance programme which combines education and elite rugby development. Players receive high-level training delivered on a camp basis by the England Performance Unit. The rugby sessions are designed and overseen by Stuart Barrow, England Women Head Coach, who closely monitors players development throughout their journey.
