The 2022 Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final will be played at Elland Road, the home of Leeds United FC, on Saturday May 7.
For the third time in succession the Women’s Challenge Cup Final will be part of a Rugby League triple header also featuring the semi-finals of the Men’s Betfred Challenge Cup – after triumphs for Leeds Rhinos against Castleford Tigers at the University of Bolton Stadium in 2019, and for St Helens against York City Knights at Leigh Sports Village earlier this year.
And with Elland Road boasting a capacity of almost 38,000, the RFL has set a target of smashing the current record for a domestic Women’s Rugby League fixture – 4,235 set at the 2021 Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final at Headingley in October.
Mark Foster, the RFL’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “The growing profile of Women’s and Girls’ Rugby League has been a huge success story for the game in recent years, and taking the 2022 Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final to Elland Road represents another significant step forward.
“Elland Road is a Premier League football stadium with a strong history of staging big Rugby League occasions, including one famous men’s Challenge Cup Final replay between Hull FC and Widnes in 1982.
“Now the Betfred Challenge Cup triple header will fall firmly into that category. The Women’s Challenge Cup Final is proving increasingly popular both with Rugby League supporters and with our broadcast partners and TV viewers, as we saw when the Women’s Final was shown live on BBC2 for the first time earlier this year.
“We are confident that more supporters than ever will want to be at Elland Road to watch the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final in 2022, and it will be a fitting stage for the brilliant athletes who are driving the development of Women’s Rugby League.
“With Elland Road also staging a Men’s Semi Final in the Rugby League World Cup next autumn, there’s so much to look forward to in 2022.”
