On Wednesday 8th March 2023 we celebrated International Women's Day at the Totally Wicked Stadium!
St Helens Women stars Jodie Cunningham, Tara Jones and Emily Rudge, alongside physio Jade Read, took centre stage last night at the Totally Wicked Stadium for International Women’s Day!
Fellow first team stars, Leah Burke, Rebeccca Rotheram, Zoe Harris and Katie Mottershead were also at the event to show their support. Head of Women’s Rugby, Craig Richards, alongside backroom staff, Jenny Welsby, Tom McBride, Suzanne Littler and Nicole Evans also showed their support at the event.
There was a Questions and Answer session in the 1873 Lounge which allowed fans the chance to offer the four women questions about their experiences both in and outside of the sport. The event lasted for 90 minutes between 6:30pm and 8pm.
Thank you to the fans who turned up and made the event a great success, it was a great to see everyone having a great time. We would also like to thank Sports Development St Helens, the St Helens Council and the Saints Community Development Foundation for their support during the event.
On the event, St Helens Head of Rugby, Craig Richards, said: “It was fantastic to see so many young female players from our community clubs Thatto Heath, Portico, Haydock , Halton and Pilkington Recs Join the Saints Womens players and Head physio Jade Read to celebrate International Women’s Day.”
“The players who live and breathe Rugby league every day shared a valuable insights into their journeys into sports and their careers away from playing.”
St Helens Women Captain, Jodie Cunningham, said: “Not many years ago there was only one community girls team in the town so to see a room full of girls community teams, volunteers, parents and supporters of the St Helens Women’s team was incredible. What a great celebration of all the women and girls involved in Rugby League across St Helens!”
Active Lives & Sports Development Officer for St Helens Borough Council, Gemma Ireland, said: “Saints are the borough’s greatest ambassadors, so it was a priviledge to be in the company of players Jodie, Emily, Tara and team physio, Jade, for this event to celebrate International Women’s Day.”
“The group provided fascinating insight into the women’s sport in front of an audience containing so many youngsters from amateur clubs across the borough which was great to see.”
“We’re passionate about increasing opportunities for women and girls to be active in St Helens, working with the local clubs and groups to increase women’s and girls’ participation, ensuring they feel connected, confident and empowered – so to have real-life role models like all the players and staff at St Helens R.F.C Women will inspire the next generation of female rugby league stars as well as support the council’s priority of getting more residents active!”
The event was recorded and fans will have the chance to watch the full event on https://tv.saintsrlfc.com/ in the coming days!
Pictures of the event captured by PlattyPhoto
