The RFL

 
Women’s and girls Rugby League saw an 81 per cent increase in participation last year and there are many opportunities for females to get involved in Rugby League in the UK including playing, coaching, volunteering and refereeing.

A recent study by the WSFF determined that 80% of women are not doing enough exercise to benefit their health and women between 16-24 year olds were half as active as men.

The study also estimated that in 20 years seven out of ten women will be overwight meaning that there has never been a more vital time to raise participation levels in sports.

A series of exciting development programmes have taken female Rugby League activity to a new level. Opportunities to play exist in a variety of areas within the sport including Amateur Clubs, Combined Services, Schools and Universities.

Playing Rugby League gives females a number of excellent opportunities to play sport in a social environment with their friends while keeping fit. Engaging in sport also gives a real feel good factor after physical exercise.
  
The female game has been integrated throughout all RFL departments with the Performance department looking after the England World Cup Squad as well as overseeing the U14, U16 Girls and Women’s Counties teams.
 
The Female game also has a dedicated resource within the Media department at The RFL as well as support from the Coaching Department.
 
46% of pupils involved in Rugby League in Primary Schools are female whilst girls from age 11 to16 can compete in the Carnegie Champion Schools Tournament which is open to all secondary schools across the UK. The Carnegie Champion Colleges competition for girls aged 16 to 19 starts this year thus completing the academic Rugby League pathway.
 
The award winning Carnegie Champion Schools Tournament has been a very successful development tool for girls' Rugby League and there are now more than 185 school girl’s teams competing in this structured competition.

For full details on this exciting competition please visit www.carnegiechampionschools.co.uk
 
More than 30 amateur Rugby League clubs have or are developing female sections, while nearly 600 girls aged 11-16 are registered to play club Rugby League.
 
Girls have the opportunity to participate in Rugby League Festivals at three age groups: Under 12's, Under 14's and Under 16's which are particularly popular in the North West and Yorkshire with some activity in the North East, Midlands & London contributing to a total of 37 teams involved.
 
These festivals run at fortnightly intervals from March to October and culminate in a spectacular event at the end of the season, the Champion of Champions Festival, where Regional Champions from all over the UK compete for this prestigious title.
 
Elsewhere The Rugby League Conference attracted 15 women’s teams in 6 regions across the country and this is something which The RFL is hoping to build on for next year. In further new developments an Under 18 competition is to be launched next year as is a Touch Rugby League which aims to further increase participation in the sport.
 
Meanwhile the Combined Services – Navy, Army & RAF now have female Rugby League teams and this year will feature the first female inter services clashes.
 
For the most talented girls, there are great opportunities to progress along the Player Pathway.
 
In the Under 14 and Under 16 age groups there is an annual North West v Yorkshire clash held in September and women at the pinnacle of the performance pathway have the opportunity to represent their country.

England Women's team recently competed in the World Cup in Australia and ultimately finished third after losing narrowly to eventual winners New Zealand.