Rugby League: Hornets Women's Team receive Sport England Funding

Rochdale Hornets Women Rugby

The Hornets Foundation has received funding from Sport England, which will be used to help fund the growth of Women’s Rugby League in Rochdale.

Sport England have chosen the Hornets Foundation to be a recipient of a Small Grant Award of £8,550, which will cover the bulk of the costs of running the Rochdale Hornets Women’s Team in 2019.

Rochdale had been without a women's rugby league team for several years until recent efforts revived interest.

A spokesperson for the Hornets Foundation said: "Thanks to this funding, we will be able to continue to invest in Rochdale Hornets Women and ensure that our professional coaches can keep improving the team.

"After launching in January, we have held regular sessions with numbers growing week on week. Any women interested in taking up rugby league are invited to join us for training at Oulder Hill Leisure Complex on Monday nights between 7 and 8pm.

"No prior experience is necessary, and all sessions are free."

The team is coached by former Rochdale Mayfield player David Chrimes, assisted by Hornets Foundation coach Kirsty Crehan.

The Director of Rugby is Sophie Cox, former GB Judo Olympian and the first female to play rugby league at Wembley, which she did as part of the Rochdale Schools team in 1993.

Women’s RL has been one of the biggest growth areas of the sport, with hundreds of women and girls joining teams across the country.

The England Women’s team performed creditably at the World Cup in Australia in 2017 and will be looking to go even further as hosts in 2021.

The Women’s Super League continues to go from strength to strength and we hope that Rochdale Hornets Women, with the help of Sport England, can be another force for growing the women’s game in 2019.