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Women In Rugby League Celebrated at Inaugural Sporting Heritage Awards

Women In Rugby League Celebrated at Inaugural Sporting Heritage Awards

Women in Rugby League were honoured to attend the inaugural Sporting Heritage Awards held at Leeds City Museum on Thursday 28th April, at which the power of sporting history was celebrated, with 9 individuals and organisations recognised for their work across education, sport, culture and heritage. We were thrilled to receive the ‘Celebrating Diversity Award’ at the event, which aims to celebrate…

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WANTED: Your Stories of Playing and Supporting Women's International Rugby League

WANTED: Your Stories of Playing and Supporting Women’s International Rugby League

‘Life with the Lionesses’ – celebrating 25 Years of Women’s International Rugby League and inspiring the next generation   Women in Rugby League aims to raise awareness of the incredible role models who pioneered Women’s International Rugby League, and we are appealing for your stories for our ‘Life with the Lionesses’ heritage project.   Whether you were an international player, a coach, team…

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Pioneering Rugby League referee visits Wigan to promote Life with the Lionesses project

Pioneering Rugby League referee visits Wigan to promote Life with the Lionesses project

Our very own Julia Lee visited Wigan last week to tour the Museum of Wigan Life and discuss how she can work more closely with the City in the lead up to the Rugby League World Cup in November 2022. Julia Lee, the first woman to referee men’s Rugby League in the 1980s, is leading our project called ‘Life with the Lionesses’ which aims to celebrate the history of women in Rugby League and inspire…

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Julia Lee: Pioneering Rugby League Referee Donates Memorabilia

Julia Lee: Pioneering Rugby League Referee Donates Memorabilia

We are delighted to announce that a collection of unique Women’s Rugby League memorabilia has found a new home in Huddersfield – the birth place of Rugby League! The collection, which belongs to former Rugby League referee Julia Lee from Huddersfield, has been added to the Rugby Football League Archive at Heritage Quay the archives service for the University of Huddersfield. The items Julia is…

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Your Chance to Volunteer

Your Chance to Volunteer

Women in Rugby League is a unique heritage project celebrating 25 years of women’s international Rugby League, and we’re looking for volunteers to help with archiving and fact finding. ‘Life with the Lionesses’ is led by Julia Lee, one of the first women to referee men’s Rugby League in the 1980s. The project aims to  uncover, document and celebrate the history of women in Rugby League and…

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Nikki Carter

Nikki Carter has always been a Hull FC fan, however, growing up girls were not allowed to play. She was in sport all her life and excelled at the hammer in athletics. When the opportunity came for her to play, she grabbed it with both hands. Julia Lee catches up with Nikki about her days with Hull Vixens and her role as team manager for the first GB Lioness’s Tour to Australian 1996

My husband…

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Denise Waite

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Jean Clark

Jean grew up in a Rugby League family and has lovely memories of three generations being involved in the sport Julia Lee catches up with her in Hull.

The family grew up here. My brother and sister-in-law. Mum and Dad and my daughter and Alan’s two children. I can’t particularly remember which my first game was, but I remember going from being very young. How old would I be then? Probably, maybe…

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Jill Crowther

Jill started watching Hull KR to spend more time with her dad and has some lovely memories of days gone by

Julia Lee catches up with Jill in Hull

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Listening to what Jean said, how I became involved is very different, because I only got involved in later life, in my twenties. Although I knew all about Hull KR…

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Kathleen Sexton

Kathleen has been a Hull KR fan all her life going to games of all levels with her mum and dad. After over 50 years of watching has a good grasp of what it is all about

I first started going with my dad to Rovers in 62-63 probably. And mum worked at the time on a Saturday, because it was Saturday games then, and we used to go, watch the rugby, and we used to go to away games. Pre-M62.

And then we…

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Helen Schofield

Helen was born into a rugby league family and has been a Hull KR supporter all her life. Have a listen and read as Helen shares the highs and lows to Julia Lee

https://www.womeninrugbyleague.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Helen-Schofield.mp3

[How did you get involved?]

For me, it was all about family. I have three older brothers and my dad, and they were all really big into sport and in our…

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Lyndsey Spencer

I have memories of the 1986 Challenge Cup Final. I was 14 at the time I was not able to go on my own, so I went on a supporter’s bus with my sister and sisters’ friend. This was my first time at Wembley and was absolutely amazed at the crowd, atmosphere and the overall atmosphere of the place. It was even more enjoyable due to coming away from the ground with a win.  The icing on the cake was…

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Susan Jarvis

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Kath Thompson

My Dad and brother supported Featherstone Rovers and were thrilled when I first met Jim Thompson at the age of 17 years old because they got to meet all Jim’s teammates who were hereos to our family, they were even happier when I married Jim at the age of 22 years.

Kath became firm friends with Margaret Newlove who’s husband John played with Jim Sarah, Kaths daughter married Margaret Newlove’s son Richard, so connected as friends as well as by family “We were paired together in 1967 when our husbands started playing for Featherstone and we have been friends ever since “they were a good gang of women” When our son and daughter started going out together, we made a pact that it wouldn’t break the friendship if it went wrong, we were not going to fall out. But we needn’t have worried because we knew within a couple of weeks they were a good pairing.”

At his first match for Featherstone Jim had to pay to play because the staff on the gate didn’t recognise him and he hung his kit on the 1st teams pegs and when he returned after the match he found all his clothes in the bath. In those days the committee ruled the roost, they chose the team and often had no coaching skills!

Jim used to work a shift at the pit and then go and play a match, it could be a nightmare at work because his colleagues were all supporters so if there had been a bad match, he’d get it in the neck but it was always good after a win. Jim was a shift charge hand at the pit at the same time Kath worked in the office at the pit 1968

“We used to go a match with our rollers in and a headscarf if they were playing on a Saturday night, arrange our fringes so you couldn’t tell and then we’d be ready to go out, especially if they won. Jimmy wouldn’t go out if they lost, he hated losing. Back then there was no competition between the wives, there was no wags, you just all mucked in together.” “Players wives weren’t important, all we had to do was wash the players training gear”

“The memories are long here at Featherstone when you come to a ‘do’ and they are still right pleased to see you”

Kath Thompson Kath Thompson My Dad and brother supported Featherstone Rovers and were thrilled when I first met Jim Thompson at the age of 17 years old because they got to meet all Jim's teammates who were hereos to our family, they were even happier when I married Jim at the age of 22 years.

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Barbara Wilford

Has been a fan since 1993 although she did date her husband at the match when she 17yrs old. Building up slowly with just home matches and then home and away. When the club was going through a financially challenging time a group of people that used to sit on the terraces together thought they could help the club out and raise some funds. Amalgamating all the supporters groups The Featherstone Rovers Joint Supporters Group grew, helping with fundraising, feeding the players, match day catering, and helped out where they could. The group lasted 15 years 1997 – 2013 with Barbara becoming the chairwomen of the group. Each year they raised funds for major projects, equipment etc.

In 2003 Study Rovers Learning Centre was set up to expand Featherstone Rovers work in the local community. Having demonstrated the success of this work, Rovers were able to apply for the government funded project ‘Playing for Success’ Barbara was involved in writing this successful bid for this grant which enabled the club to build the IT Centre and deliver educational, and sports related programmes to schools in the area. Study Rovers continued to flourish alongside this. Barbara gradually she became more and more involved with Study Rovers, using her skills as an ex-teacher and working with young offenders, adults with learning disabilities, schools, healthy living projects up until 2013 when she decided to retire from full time volunteering and concentrate on the rugby.

During 16 years of involvement in fund raising with featherstone Rovers Joint Supporters Group and Study rovers Learning Centre a figure in the region of £350,00 was raise

Barbara Wilford Barbara Wilford Has been a fan since 1993 although she did date her husband at the match when she 17yrs old.

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Jan Smith aka The Soup Dragon

Jan first came across rugby just before the 1967 Challenge cup final, the school allowed all the children to run down the lane and wave the team off to Wembley. Then at 10 years old she started watching Rovers “we used to go to the cinema and then sneak onto the ground at half time”. She met her husband Peter on a training night, when she was 16 years old, friends used to make the refreshments and asked her to be involved, at first she was reluctant and didn’t want to get involved but they begged her. She was teamed up with Pat Randell, the current Miss Featherstone Rovers, and volunteered on alternate weeks and on the other team were Jane Major and Jackie Ashton. Pete called Jan the Soup Dragon after asking Jackie who she was, they started dating and now have been married for 46 years.

Pete grew up an overweight kid. He played in school teams and the Rovers juniors. He left school and in those days schools were allowed to field an ex pupil. He came back played for the school and in between had been signed on by the rovers His ex p.e. teacher said he’d never make a rugby player as long as he’d a hole in his backside and after he’d played said he’d have to eat his words ,as Pete had lost weight and had developed far more than he ever thought he would.

Pete was a miner, the NCB (coal board) were supportive of the miners who were sportsmen and any achievements would be reported in their news paper the Coal News. Derek Hobbs who was pit Personnel Manager (father of Dave 1983 Lance Todd trophy winner Hobbs) was particularly good with the lads who played from the pit. The players from the mines used to sneak across the railway tracks to train often in the afternoons, the Pit bobbies would pretend they’d not seen them. “I used to meet Pete at the sidings with his training gear when we were first married. Later he would leave his kit at his mum’s just down the lane in Albert Street a couple of hundred yards away from the ground”

“When Pete had injuries I would often help by massaging them or putting Ice packs or hot comfrey poultices on to get swellings down..Or strap his ankles for each match as he had a tendency to sprain them”

Everyone in the pit knew each other and or had played at any one time you’d be working along side the present team or ex internationals or county players The boast was you’d shout down the shaft and up would come another great player. They were rugged tough men who would work a shift or overtime before a match. At the pit you worked with your heroes

During the 1984 strike “The strike affected the players Social services made it hard for those they considered were in contracts. Pete wasn’t on a contract until the last three years of his career we didn’t receive a penny in benefits like other miners (/players) got. We, (Dave Hobbs too) had to live off savings as they refused to believe that even though the club sent letters stating. that was so hence Bradford and Bingley’ s help. Our local butcher Alan Robinson himself an ex miner, who became a butcher after a serious pit accident used to do strike packs of meat for the miners at a good price do we could eat. There were clothing allowances too for clothes, Kath and her sister Elaine worked there and you didn’t feel humiliated going as you knew them and they knew what you were going through. Bradford and Bingley allowed us to add the arrears onto our lump sum after strike so we wouldn’t lose our houses.”

Jan usually played hockey but as part of a fundraising game during the miners strike played rugby once, Miners welfare versus Miners wives, coached over 2-3 weeks by legend Cyril Kelly renowned for his kicks at the 1973 Wembley Cup Final

Featherstone had a reputation of being a tough place but it was always a close rugby town, the pit the team, the people and the families, Featherstone Rovers touched everyone’s life’s and to many rugby was the b-all and end-all. Our children from the town and club grew up together, went to schools together , went to the matches together and now after all that time many of them are still friends, and when you do see people from the past you just pick it up again.

Ladies behind the scenes who got involved the committee wives, local business women Vera Brittain, Connie Frankland who did the refreshments after the match, Liz Hagard who kept it all together when they went to Wembley, supporters committee who the men called The Black widow’s due to their black hair. Annie Morrison and Anne Thorpe selling tickets and golden gamble who have been part of Featherstone for over 70 years. It is whole families that get involved and at some points Featherstone Rovers and the pit reached into everyone’s life

Grandmother Ann Williams married Harry Rycroft whose medal I was researching. She was one of the Williams who moved to the area when Ackton Hall was opened by Lord At Oswald. She was aunt to Billy Williams, Rovers player, coach and then Physio. He was also talent boxer and poet .His son Jim was also a Physio at Rovers when my husband Pete played .The Williams,originally welsh were a big family and married into most local families.

The Soup Dragon Jan Smith aka The Soup Dragon Jan first came across rugby just before the 1967 Challenge cup final, the school allowed all the children to run down the lane and wave the team off to Wembley.

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Paul ( Ground Safety Officer) Alan & ex player Etu lending a hand

Ann has been the proud owner of a season ticket since she was 7/8 years old, her father was a miner and bought season tickets for her and all 7 of her siblings, the money was deducted from his wages. Rovers is part of every member of her family, her daughter Jodie is the first aider and was the first on the scene when her friend Joans husband had a heart attack at the match. Ann’s husband Paul is safety officer for match days and a volunteer for the building of the stands. Her son played for the Lions and then transferred to Featherstone but fractured his cheek on his first match, he still has a metal plate in it. The family have great fun memories of Rovers and a fondness that goes further than just a game, it is entrenched in their family The friends her son met at the rugby from the age of 6 are still friends and they went to every game. Paul’s Grandad had his first beefburger at the age of 90 at Featherstone Rovers home match. Yorkshire Television came to film the club on a match day at home and Granddad was talking. John was on the video playing in the background. On the 27th March 1978 all the men left the reception at my wedding including new husband and grandfather to go to the Featherstone match. Ann now attends the IT and biscuits on a Thursday morning as well as attending all the games.

Ann Fowler Ann has been the proud owner of a season ticket since she was 7/8 years old, her father was a miner and bought season tickets for her and all 7 of her siblings, the money was deducted from his wages.