Women's rugby league
Encyclopedia
Women's Rugby League is the female-only version of the game rugby league football. There are currently clubs for female only participation running in Australia
, Great Britain
and New Zealand
which are overseen by the various individual organizations of those separate countries and internationally by the Women's & Girls Rugby League.
At International level Australia, France
, Great Britain and New Zealand compete on a regular basis with a Women's Rugby League World Cup
held at a regular interval after first being established in 2000.
of women's rugby league and was established in 2000 in conjunction with the first Women's Rugby League World Cup
.
The organization currently oversees the running of the international game for women's rugby league and helps organize rugby league domestically in several countries.
and other parts of Oceania
and was established in 1993. It currently falls under the Australian Rugby League
which oversees its running and management but it took the association five years to be recognized by the ARL.
The AWRL is run at state level by its own governing organizations in the Queensland Women's Rugby League, New South Wales Women's Rugby League, Canberra Women's Rugby League and the Western Australian Women's Rugby League. The main women's competitions in Australia are the Sydney Metro. Women's Rugby League and the QWRL.
At international level the Women's Australian side is commonly referred to as the Australian Jillaroos.
; although some activity is run by the independent Womens Amateur Rugby League Association, originally established in 1985. With summer rugby becoming increasingly popular, the appeal of WARLA has wained, with the RFL running the largest womens rugby league competition in the world.
At the beginning of the 2006 season there were between thirty and forty female only rugby league clubs running in England
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_league/get_involved/4223236.stm not including clubs that have teams of both sexes. The majority of these clubs are located in Lancashire
and Yorkshire
.
The Women's Rugby League Conference
is a competition for female rugby league teams.
At international level the Women's England side is commonly referred to as the England Lionesses.
. The national side is called the Kiwi Ferns.
during 2000 to coincide with men's Rugby League World Cup
with Australia
, France
, Great Britain
and New Zealand
competing.
New Zealand went on to win the inaugural tournament as well as winning the 2005 competition five years later in New Zealand. The next competition will be held in Australia in 2008 yet again coinciding with the men's World Cup.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
which are overseen by the various individual organizations of those separate countries and internationally by the Women's & Girls Rugby League.
At International level Australia, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Great Britain and New Zealand compete on a regular basis with a Women's Rugby League World Cup
Women's Rugby League World Cup
The Women's Rugby League World Cup is an international tournament for women to determine the best Rugby League playing nation in the world. It was first held in 2000 in Great Britain coinciding with the men's Rugby League World Cup, and will next be contested in Australia in 2008 as part of the...
held at a regular interval after first being established in 2000.
Women's & Girls Rugby League
The Women & Girls Rugby League is the international governing bodySport governing body
A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
of women's rugby league and was established in 2000 in conjunction with the first Women's Rugby League World Cup
Women's Rugby League World Cup
The Women's Rugby League World Cup is an international tournament for women to determine the best Rugby League playing nation in the world. It was first held in 2000 in Great Britain coinciding with the men's Rugby League World Cup, and will next be contested in Australia in 2008 as part of the...
.
The organization currently oversees the running of the international game for women's rugby league and helps organize rugby league domestically in several countries.
Australian Women's Rugby League
The Australian Women's Rugby League (AWRL) is the governing body of female rugby league in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and other parts of Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
and was established in 1993. It currently falls under the Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
which oversees its running and management but it took the association five years to be recognized by the ARL.
The AWRL is run at state level by its own governing organizations in the Queensland Women's Rugby League, New South Wales Women's Rugby League, Canberra Women's Rugby League and the Western Australian Women's Rugby League. The main women's competitions in Australia are the Sydney Metro. Women's Rugby League and the QWRL.
At international level the Women's Australian side is commonly referred to as the Australian Jillaroos.
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body of female rugby league in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; although some activity is run by the independent Womens Amateur Rugby League Association, originally established in 1985. With summer rugby becoming increasingly popular, the appeal of WARLA has wained, with the RFL running the largest womens rugby league competition in the world.
At the beginning of the 2006 season there were between thirty and forty female only rugby league clubs running in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_league/get_involved/4223236.stm not including clubs that have teams of both sexes. The majority of these clubs are located in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
The Women's Rugby League Conference
Women's Rugby League Conference
The Women's Rugby League Conference is a rugby league competition for female teams in Britain. It began in 2008.The men's equivalent is the Rugby League Conference.-2011 structure:...
is a competition for female rugby league teams.
At international level the Women's England side is commonly referred to as the England Lionesses.
New Zealand Rugby League
Women's rugby league in New Zealand is controlled by the New Zealand Rugby LeagueNew Zealand Rugby League
The New Zealand Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. The NZRL was founded on the 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year....
. The national side is called the Kiwi Ferns.
International
Currently the following international teams compete on a regular basis:| Nation | Confederation | Year joined | Ranking RLIF World Rankings The RLIF World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in the sport of rugby league football. The teams of the member nations of the Rugby League International Federation, rugby league football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful... |
|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
Oceania | 1993 | 2nd |
 France |
Europe | - | 4th |
 Great Britain |
Europe | 1985 | 3rd |
 New Zealand |
Oceania | 1993 | 1st |
Women's Rugby League World Cup
The Women's Rugby League World Cup was first held in Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
during 2000 to coincide with men's Rugby League World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
with Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
competing.
New Zealand went on to win the inaugural tournament as well as winning the 2005 competition five years later in New Zealand. The next competition will be held in Australia in 2008 yet again coinciding with the men's World Cup.