RFL Women's Championship

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Women's Championship
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 RFL Women's Championship
SportRugby league
Founded2017; 7 years ago (2017) (founded)
2024; 0 years ago (2024) (reformed)
No. of teams
  • 9 (Northern)
  • TBD (Midlands)
  • 4 (Southern)
Country England
 Scotland
 Wales
Level on pyramid2
Promotion toRFL Women's Super League
Domestic cup(s)Women's Challenge Cup

The RFL Women's Championship[1] (originally proposed as the RFL Women's Regional Super League) is a rugby league competition for women's rugby league clubs in Great Britain. The competition is the second tier competition in the British rugby league system with competition winners having the possibility of promotion to the RFL Women's Super League.[2][3][4][5]

History[edit]

Foundations[edit]

Main article: RFL Women's Championship seasons (2017–2023)

Prior to 2024, the RFL Women's Championship acted like the men's competition, a single national competition below the Super League. The competition was founded in 2017, the same year as the RFL Women's Super League, following the abolition of its predecessor competition, the RFL Women's Rugby League. However due to the geographical distribution of rugby league club in Great Britain, all Championship clubs were located in Northern England. In light of the growth of popularity in the women's game, especially outside of the heartlands, the expanded Championship aimed to grow women's rugby league outside of the heartland and provide routes for non-heartlands clubs to enter the Super League.[2][3][4][5]

Original proposal for an expanded league[edit]

The original plan for the competition had teams divided into four geographical groups with each group having a maximum of eight teams as the competition grows. Winners of each group enter a playoffs draw with the winners being the season's champion. The champion would also enter a promotion play-off with the 12th placed team in the Super League for possible promotion, similar to the Million Pound Game.

The four tournaments regions were:[2][3][4][5][6]

The Roses region would inherit teams from the Super League and Championship whilst the South region would be a successor competition to the Super League South.[2] On 27 April 2023, the RFL confirmed a selection of teams to play in the North and Midlands region along with a soft launch of these two regions in the summer of 2023.[7]

Women's Super League North[edit]

The Super League North was given a 'soft launch' in 2023 with a series of matches between Newcastle Thunder and Workington Town with the aim that a Scottish team would be added to the competition in 2024.[8] Workington had announced plans to launch a team in 2022[9] and the Newcastle team had formed in 2023.[10] The first match took place on 9 July 2023,[11] after both teams had taken part in the RFL Women's Nines earlier in the year.[12]

Women's Super League Roses[edit]

The Super League Roses would simply be a restructure for the Lancashire and Yorkshire clubs competing in the original Championship and RFL Women's Super League.

Women's Super League Midlands[edit]

The Women's Super League Midlands was launched in 2023 with four teams taking part: Cheltenham Phoenix, Coventry Bears, Leamington Royals, and Telford Raiders.[8] A Coventry team had previously taken part in Women's Rugby League Conference and the early years of the Challenge Cup,[13][14] whereas Leamington were launched in 2022 and Telford and Cheltenham were new teams.[8][15] The competition used a double round-robin format of each team playing home and away and the top two competing in the grand final.[8] On 19 August, Telford, who finished in top place, defeated Coventry 34-18 in the final at Leamington RFC.[16][17]

Women's Super League South[edit]

Further information: RFL Women's Super League South

The Super League South was launched in 2021 with six teams: Army RL, Bedford Tigers, Cardiff Demons, Cornish Rebels and Golden Ferns.[18] Despite plans for expansion the league remained at six teams when Oxford Cavaliers joined in 2022 as Cornwall withdrew from the league.[19] Oxford withdrew the following season when Thurrock T-Birds joined the league.[20]

2024 structure[edit]

The RFL's January 2024 statement about the league stated there would be three regional competitions named Midlands, Northern and Southern Championships rather than the four previously proposed. Due to only having two teams, Newcastle Thunder and Workington Town, the "North" group did not go ahead. The "Roses" group would be renamed Northern Championship for the inaugural season. Due to limited numbers in the Midlands Championship, the Midlands group would play a festival format for 2024 thus would be illegible for the national playoffs and promotion.[1]

Clubs[edit]

Founding clubs[edit]

In January 2024, the RFL confirmed the nine clubs in the Northern Championship and four of the clubs in Southern Championship.[1]

Northern Midlands Southern

None

Promotions from lower leagues[edit]

Teams entering the competition having been promoted from lower league from 2025 onwards are:

Relegations from Super League[edit]

Teams entering the competition after being relegated from Super League from 2025 onwards are:

Results[edit]

From 2017 to 2023, the RFL Women's Championship only operated in Northern England and thus were national second tier champions. Teams of this competition would go on to form the Northern Championship. Champions of predecessor competitions to the Midlands and Southern Championship are also shown.

Season Champions SLS
Single "Northern" Championship
2017 Stanningley — —
2018 Stanningley
2019 Warrington Wolves
2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Leigh Miners Rangers Ladies — Cardiff Demons
2022 Oulton Raidettes Cardiff Demons
2023 Hull KR Telford Raiders[21] London Broncos
Season Champions Prom. Regional Champions
Northern Midlands Southern
Regional Championship
2024 TBA Yes/No TBA TBA TBA

Champions[edit]

List of teams by number of Grand Final wins
Club Wins Winning Years
Stanningley 2 2017, 2018
Warrington Wolves 1 2019
Leigh Miners Rangers Ladies 1 2021
Oulton Raidettes 1 2022
Hull KR 1 2023

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "New era for Tier Two of Women's Rugby League". www.rugby-league.com. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Gordon, James (31 January 2023). "RFL reveal exciting national pyramid for growing women's game". loverugbyleague.com. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Cook, Sam (January 31, 2023). "Women's rugby league set for exciting changes with reshuffle to create pyramid for 2024". Rugby League News.
  4. ^ a b c Ibbetson, Stephen (February 5, 2023). "RFL take national view in restructure of women's leagues from 2024".
  5. ^ a b c Walker, Callum (January 31, 2023). "RFL reveals groundbreaking new structure for Women's Super League and lower tiers".
  6. ^ "Thurrock T-Birds join Women's Super League South for 2023". rugby-league.com. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  7. ^ "New second tier competitions to fuel expansion of Women's Super League". www.rugby-league.com.
  8. ^ a b c d "New second tier competitions fuel expansion of Women's Super League". Betfred Women's Super League Grand Final 2023: Official Programme (PDF). p. 34. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Workington Town to launch women's team!". Workington Town. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Kingston Park debut for Thunder Women". Newcastle Thunder. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Newcastle Thunder Women beaten but not defeated". Newcastle Thunder. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Women's Nines Rugby League returns after huge success last year". www.rugby-league.com. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Women's Challenge Cup draw completed". Yorkshire Rugby League. 23 March 2012. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012.
  14. ^ "Coventry Bears Women's Team". Coventry Bears. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012.
  15. ^ "Leamington Royals Ladies make history at Rugby League Nines Tournament". Warwick: Nub News. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Scene set at Leamington for Saturday's inaugural Women's Super League Midlands Grand Final". www.rugby-league.com. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Successful finish to the season for regional Women's Super League competitions". www.rugby-league.com. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Betfred Women's Super League South to break new ground in 2021". www.rugby-league.com. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  19. ^ "St Helens to stage 2022 BWSL Grand Final". www.rugby-league.com. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Building a National Pyramid". Community Rugby League: MORE THAN A SPORT REVIEW MID-YEAR 2023 (PDF). Rugby Football League. p. 16. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  21. ^ "Successful finish to the season for regional Women's Super League competitions". www.rugby-league.com.
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