Heritage Quay hosts Women in Rugby League: The Pioneering Years
The pioneers of women’s rugby league are being celebrated with a newly curated collection at Heritage Quay on the University of Huddersfield campus.
Heritage Quay is hosting ‘The Pioneering Years’, a collection focusing on grassroots women's rugby league as part of the Commonsense Initiative, an enterprise led by ex-rugby league referee Julia Lee that has been backed by just under £100,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The collection is part of the first phase of the ‘Life with the Lionesses’ project, curated by Julia. There has been an increase of 5100% in the amount of memorabilia of women’s rugby league now in the Heritage Quay facility during the project so far.
Heritage Quay is also recruiting volunteers to help collate and record the new material, with a closing date for enquiries of 21 May. Follow this link for more information.
The archive hosted an exhibition celebrating women’s rugby league in 2022, based on a collection pulled together by Julia with contributions from unsung former international players.
“It’s thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players that we have received this funding and I’m absolutely thrilled," says Julia.
“This is a project very close to my heart, which will help us put a spotlight on some amazing women who have been involved in Rugby League.
“It gives us an opportunity to ensure that the history of women in Rugby League is not lost and to uncover stories still untold.”