FORMER players and people who were key to the founding of women’s rugby league clubs in the area in the 1980s enjoyed a reunion at Bradford Bulls.
Around 20 people attended the event at Odsal on Saturday July 20, which was organised by Women in Rugby League in partnership with the Bradford Bulls Community Foundation.
Left to right Caroline Houston, Ruth Foster, Pat Jowett
The reunion took place at Odsal Stadium
Among the attendees was Rod Lacey and Ian McPherson – known as Wally – the founders of Dudley Hill Thunderbirds and the first women’s league with the former on the committee of LARLA (Ladies Amateur Rugby League Association).
Lacey, who has just turned 90, came along with boxes of memorabilia including cuttings, minutes, photos and early fixture lists. His daughter Ruth Jowett, who played for Dudley Hill, travelled from her home in Manitoba, Canada.
So too did her partner Bob, also a former member of the team and a coach of the Bradford Bulls girls’ team when it was in its infancy.
Also present were Martina Ni Riagain (nee Greenwood) who both coaches and played and Andy Harland, who played a crucial role in advancing girls’ rugby league in schools as well as the women’s game in the area.
L-R Rod Lacey and Ian (Wally) McPherson
A further event is planned for next year
The event was a great success – some people reconnected for the first time in more than 20 years. Another Bradford event is planned for 2025.
It was the first in a series of events that form part of ‘The Pioneering Years,’ a two-year project marking more than 40 years since the founding of the first women’s clubs.
The aim is for everyone who was involved since the early years to re-engage with the sport and feel a sense of belonging while having their achievements recognised.
Julia Lee is the driving force behind the project following a lifelong love of the game during which she became the first woman to officiate men’s rugby league in Great Britain and Australia before becoming a director at the Rugby Football League (RFL).
Following the event at Bradford, she said: “There was a real sense of community and pride which is exactly what we set out to achieve. Many of those women don’t realise the enormity of what they did by striking out and playing the game they loved despite the obstacles in their way.
“They’ve left a huge legacy and inspired so many girls and women who have followed in their footsteps. But neither can we forget to mention all those men who played such an integral role in the early years.
“Without their support, it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, to get things off the ground. So, we also want to recognise people like Rod Lacey, Bob Jowett, Ian Mcpherson and Andy Harland and say thank you to them.”
The project ‘Women in rugby league: the pioneering years’ will rescue and preserve the memories and the records of the women and their male allies who have played and maintained women’s rugby league clubs since the 1980s.
It aims to ensure their achievements are remembered and their legacy is preserved so that girls and young women can learn from their experiences and discover new role models.
The project will collect, catalogue and display the history of women’s club rugby league, leading to workshops, exhibitions and other public events in ten major rugby league-playing towns across northern England.
For more information, please contact: Julia Lee at Julia.lee@csi2012.co.uk or on 07740 634082 or Tom Wood; digital@csi2012.co.uk or on 07967 182615
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