Wakefield Trinity is proud to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022, directly in conjunction with our Ladies Rugby League side.

During half-time of the 2016 home fixture between Wakefield Trinity and St. Helens, the founding member Joanne Phillips and Rebecca Brierley introduced the then newly-established Wakefield Trinity Ladies RL.

In the early years, the team were based at Sharlston Rovers ARLFC, where training and games were played in the merit league, initially, before then moving up to the Championship.

A great social environment for the team saw plenty of interest, with new players coming along to represent the women’s game.

With a Championship campaign in 2018 on the horizon, around eight players attended the first session, with numbers gradually improving, creating a healthy squad for the start of the season.

Under the tutelage of Wayne Hirst, the Championship was a brand-new environment for the Ladies, with some very well-established and competitive teams, but Trinity took to it like a duck to water, as they, surprisingly, found themselves top of the table in a short space of time.

Talk from outside was suggesting that the ladies should have already been included in the Women’s Super League, as they sat pretty at the top of the table with a hugely positive points difference.

Eventually, the team took their crown, winning the Championship League Leaders’ Shield in 2018, falling just short of the Grand Final.

With a developed squad and huge amounts of ability, Trinity Ladies RL took a huge step up in competition, placing themselves within the Women’s Super League for the start of 2019. However, despite the new recruits, the Ladies struggled, formulating just one victory, and soon realising that the top-tier was going to be a very tough encounter.

Fast forward to 2022, and a year lost due to the global pandemic, the team are now in our building process, with both Liam Harnell and Ash Bond at the reigns.

Over the offseason, much of the club’s focus has been on recruitment, pulling together a mix of fresh faces and those who have been at the club for a number of years.

With over 17 new signings, including the likes of Libby Priestley, Cassy Lawson and Jade Key, the club has moved in the correct direction, formulating a squad based on overall team spirit and quality team players.

As we embark on what will be a new-look campaign for all involved, the club is excited at the prospect of another season in the WSL, as we aim to progress through the ranks.