After a very disappointing showing in Vegas, all eyes are on women’s rugby league in England and what its next steps should be.
On this International Women’s Day, the theme is Accelerate Action and it definitely feels like a theme that applies to women’s rugby league.
Following a statement made by a trio of York Valkyrie players, many of those involved in the game are crying out for support for the women’s game.
Whilst it’s not just as simple as throwing money at it, it does seem that a professional league is needed if England, in particular, are ever going to compete properly on the world stage against Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island nations.
Here are a few ways that women’s rugby league in England could continue to grow and attempt to close the gap to Australia.
Working from the grassroots level up
We know that rugby league is a northern sport and lots of boys get the opportunity to play from a very young age but there are tonnes of community clubs with no girls’ teams.
The issue, of course, is supply and demand: if there aren’t enough girls to fund a team in a certain age group, there’s no point in having one.
However, if there’s no team available, girls will simply try another sport or even worse, give up on sport altogether.
Many girls have to join boys’ teams whilst in primary school but are unable to stay with those teams past the age of 11.
That means finding a girl’s team or bust. Many community clubs and now elite clubs have programmes for girls aged 11+ but it’s not always easy to find that information.
It’s equal access and opportunities that rugby league should be striving towards for boys and girls.
The RFL did launch a programme called RugBees specifically for primary school-aged girls but it’s not exactly well-publicised.
However, with 22 clubs involved in providing weekly rugby league sessions for young girls, it should be highlighted.
Aiming for a professional top division
Whilst it’s not something that will happen immediately, it should definitely be an aim for the RFL to have a top-flight professional division.
Right now, only three WSL clubs pay their players for match days: Leeds, York and St Helens.
The players involved are doing everything they can and obviously take it seriously but with no monetary value, it looks like a glorified hobby from the outside.
For those in the know, it’s much more than that but it’s an unpaid secondary job for most involved.
Whether it comes directly from the clubs or the RFL, they can start by making sure there’s matchday earnings.
How can you get more girls and women to give up so much of their spare time when there’s no financial incentive?
From there, you can move on to payments for training sessions as well as any expenses involved in being a rugby player, from supplements to external recovery sessions.
Eventually, we could have a full-time professional league if sponsors, clubs and the RFL are willing to accept that investment might not turn into profit for a while.
Players shouldn’t be out of pocket for playing the game we all love, especially if England want to compete strongly at the international level.
Highlighting roles within rugby league
It might sound ridiculous to men but within rugby league, there aren’t a tonne of visible females.
There are a handful of players and coaches in the media and on our TVs but it’s not a very regular basis.
Whilst rugby league doesn’t get a lot of promotion, it often feels like women’s rugby league is an afterthought.
What about those who don’t want to play? Could they become a physiotherapist for a rugby league club or work within a media or marketing department?
Maybe they’d love to work for Super League or the RFL in a non-playing capacity or become a rugby league journalist?
There are so many different roles within the sport and it would be a great idea to promote those, whether it’s through the clubs, the media or the governing body.
Progression in all areas
When it comes down to it, anyone involved in women’s rugby league just wants to see some progress in any and every area.
From participation and attendance figures to increased matches on TV and news coverage, more exposure can only be a good thing for the game.
In 2025, there will be three live WSL games shown (Wigan Warriors v York Valkyrie, Leeds Rhinos v St Helens and St Helens v Wigan) along with the play-offs, Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final.
Is that enough to get lots of new fans into the sport?
There are fourteen rounds in 2025 so why not show one game per round with a highlights show once a week too?
Sometimes, it can be hard enough to find results for WSL and Championship games unless a club’s media department shares that information.
Working on increasing attendances should be a priority for all clubs. More income on matchday means more funds available to potentially pay the players down the line.
If they have to give away free tickets to young girls in the area and give their parents reduced ticket prices, so be it.
Many of those girls might then want to go to every home game, increasing income across the season.
Ultimately, everything comes down to money which, in rugby league right now, is hard to come by.
Last year’s WSL Grand Final between St Helens and York Valkyrie got an attendance of 4,813, which is a record.
Compare that to the NRLW Grand Final that got a 40,623 crowd, which was played before the men’s Grand Final.
Is this the model we should follow by hosting a double-header Grand Final?
Use the NRLW for inspiration
As we said above, the NRLW is flying right now.
However, rugby league is the top sport in Australia, compared to the more limited audience in the UK.
Right now, the NRLW will be going into its eighth professional season and has gradually added more teams to the top flight as the years have gone on, with two more teams joining this season.
The WSL has had a similar progression in regards to promoting teams gradually but it’s not yet professional.
When you look at the attendances in Australia, many of them are fewer than 2,000 people through the gates.
2,000 fans isn’t exactly unattainable for the WSL, especially considering most of the WSL sides are affiliated with men’s Super League sides.
The ultimate framework would be to work towards a salary cap and minimum salary, with 2025’s NRLW salary cap being $1,254,000 with a minimum salary of $41,800.
There needs to be a lot of progress made over the next two years before England competes against the world’s best in the World Cup in 2026 before the women’s game gets its standalone competition from 2028.
The players, coaches and staff are doing as much as they can with the resources that they have so it’s about time to reward their efforts with more investment across the board.
