BY JOHN DAVIDSON
FIVE YEARS ago Leeds Rhinos’ women were taking on Wigan Warriors at the Manchester Regional Arena in front of 1,189 people in the Women’s Super League grand final. Now they will be going to Wembley for the Challenge Cup final for a historic first time, playing in front of tens of thousands and many, many more watching live on TV.
Caitlin Beevers was a part of that Leeds’ side in 2018 as a teenager and has reflected on the remarkable rise of women’s rugby league in such a short time.
Women’s sport in general is booming, and the 13-player code is no different. The NRLW is thriving, more females are picking up a Steeden in the UK and last year’s World Cup final was played at Old Trafford as part of a double-header.
The Rhinos are one of the few clubs that part-pay their players, as the women’s game expands and reaches new audiences.
Beevers could not hide her smile as she spoke about the journey her sport has been on, to now share billing on the famous Wembley turf.
“It’s just pure excitement,” she told rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads.
“I’m just cherishing everything that we’ve got so far. I don’t think people understand how much this means to be on the same platform as the men.
“We’ve got so many young girls and people who are new to the Super League, so something like this… my first final was at Manchester Regional Arena.
“So to think how much the game has developed from there is absolutely enormous.
“For the girls to have their first experience at Wembley, I’m pretty certain we’ll have a few nervous girls but they’re very good at switching it off.
“Getting the first hit, the first carry and getting into position. I’m so excited to see how they cherish the moment.”
With huge crowds down under for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the women’s cricket Ashes catching the eye and England to contest the women’s rugby league Ashes in 2025 for the first time, the sky appears to be the limit for female sport.
“That’s what we hoping,” she said.
“It’s really in its infancy stage, it’s only five, six years into it in comparison to the men. If you look at the difference, it’s enormous.
“But if we’re just going off Super League, the way England’s international program is developing, we’ve got the Ashes, we’ve got an individual World Cup as well that shows that they’re trying to put all the eggs into one basket in terms of we will eventually be able to fill those stadiums.
“The game is developing to a point where people won’t want to watch it. It’s exciting.
“At the moment with the Super League it needs to eventually go full-time, we still work full days and then go to training on an evening for three-odd hours. The game’s developing and I still can’t wait to see how far it can go.”
Beevers might only be 21 but she is one of the more experienced Leeds’ players and vice-captain. She is a seasoned England international and one of the poster girls for women’s rugby league in the UK.
As well as being a referee, she juggles a full-time job in IT sales.
“It is a hard balance,” she admits.
“I’m so so fortunate that the company I work for are so accommodating with me taking time out for rugby. Not a lot of companies would do that.
“But eventually it needs to get to the point where this comes with the job. Leeds fantastically was the first team to start paying their players.”
Beevers has come a long way from the Dewsbury youngster who started playing as a kid with her twin brother, and her ascension has mirrored that of women’s rugby league itself.
“I’ve been playing rugby since I was six years old and all these things I never actually dreamt of because there wasn’t anything there to see.
“Back then if you’d asked me to name five England players I wouldn’t have been able to, apart from Lois, and now it’s hard not to be able to name them.
“For me to be part of that journey from the point where Super League started and I’m only 16 and developing with the game, I’m just thankful I was there at the point of time where all this is coming true.”
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