Her Rugby League Association was created by Angela Powers, a Sky Sports reporter who has been involved in covering the game for 15 years.
Its main objective is to promote the sport to new audiences by highlighting the part that women play in the game.
Angela, a former journalist at the Warrington Guardian, wants the group to celebrate the game’s many good points – and dispel some “outdated and inaccurate myths about who actually watches and plays it”.
Ahead of Rugby League World Cup 2013 – a year which is widely regarded as being pivotal for the sport – Her RLA believes that those who have never played or watched a game might be tempted to “give it a go”.
Angela, a Warrington season ticket holder, said: “I have always been quietly proud of the fact that rugby league appeals to and attracts so many women, even though it is played predominantly by men and is characterised by aggressive contact.
“Despite its combative nature, it has grown to be considered the sport for all the family, and that is reflected in the make up of the crowd and the warm and friendly atmosphere most people experience at live games.”
It has recruited some of the game’s biggest names as ambassadors including ex-Saints captain Paul Sculthorpe and current player, Jon Wilkin.
Other leading women involved include award-winning businesswomen Kate Hardcastle, a non-executive director at Bradford, and Sally Bolton, the 2013 Rugby League World Cup manager In its first year, Her RLA plans a number of strategies to promote and support the sport and the women involved in it.
They include:
•Organising events specifically targeted at a female audience but with the sport of rugby league at their heart.
•Creating a communications network so that women in the game can share ideas, opinions and expertise, via a forum for members on its website.
•Setting up networking and informal mentoring events and training for members, with a view to enhancing their skills within rugby league and to the benefit of the wider community.
•Commissioning research to discover the true picture of female participation in the sport, from playing to watching to volunteering to supporting, and everything in between, to enable better marketing to new and existing, key audiences.
•Highlighting the positive stories and experiences of women in the game, through the use of social and traditional media, and an annual Awards Celebration Evening.
Angela added: “Her Rugby League Association isnʼt about giving women in the game ʻa voiceʼ…women already have one, and their opinions have always counted.
For more information about Her RL please click on the link below
herrugbyleague.co.uk/2013/05/29/launching-her-rugby-league/
State of Mind would like to wish Angela and Her RL all the very best for the future!