Women’s Rugby League is a quickly developing sport, following the exact same rules as the men’s game, with new teams popping up all over the UK. The men’s game is a full-contact sport played by thirteen players, originating in Northern England in 1895 as a result of a split with the Rugby Football Union. Since then, it has continued to develop, producing a faster, more entertaining game and unlike union, there are no lineouts, no rucks and scrums aren’t contested.
Rugby league is known for its welcoming attitude to players of all shapes, sizes and abilities; there is a position for everyone. University Rugby also offers fantastic social opportunities it is a great way to meet people, make friends and try a sport that many will potentially not have experienced before. Women’s Rugby League at Bangor will be having regular social nights, a great opportunity to relax and have fun after the adrenaline rush of training or a match.
Bangor University is the third university in the UK and the first in Wales to have started a women’s team. We hope that more universities continue to follow, with the University of Manchester recently starting their own just after us. This means we hope to be able to compete in BUCS fixtures soon, and continue to raise the profile of Women’s Rugby League. Our sessions are designed to be a fun taster of the sport. Most of our players have never played rugby, so we are aiming to gradually develop ball handling skills and basic rule knowledge before we look ahead to any fixtures next year. We train every Tuesday 6:30-7:30 on Ffridd pitches behind the astro. For more information or if you have any questions please contact Becky Larkum or join our Facebook page: Bangor University Women’s Rugby League.