This Sunday, 19th April 2026, St.Helens Women's and Women's Academy teams will play their first home matches of the 2026 season in a Double Header at the BrewDog Stadium!
Two matches. One BIG day of women’s rugby league action awaits at the Home of the Saints.
- St.Helens Women vs Catalans Dragons
- 12pm kick-off
- Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup – Group Stage
Starting off the day will be our senior squad with their second match in the Group Stage of the Challenge Cup. In early April, the Red V Women’s First Team travelled to Huddersfield Giants to begin the new campaign, winning 14-44 with a strong second-half performance.
Joint Head Coaches Derek Hardman & Craig Richards have been preparing the Saints for their first-ever match against French side Catalans Dragons, who play in the French division and are involved in the competition for the first time in 2026.
The Dragons, now led by former York & Castleford coach Lindsay Anfield, played the Giants at Laund Hill last Sunday afternoon and narrowly lost out 24-22.
- St.Helens Women’s Academy vs Wigan Warriors Women’s Academy
- 2:30pm kick-off
- Women’s Academy – Round One
Our Women’s Under-19s team’s season will begin on Sunday, marking only their second competitive campaign. Adding the competitive element to fixtures further nurtures the growth and development of aspiring young female rugby league players.
Graham Cranny, Head Coach of the Women’s Academy, and Assistant Coach of the Women’s First Team, along with our Women’s youth coaching staff, have prepared our Academy Saints for a fourteen-round season.
Sunday will be an exciting occasion for these girls, as some will run out on the BrewDog Stadium field for the very first time.
🎟️ TICKETS & ENTRY INFORMATION
2026 Saints Memberships and match tickets grant entry to both fixtures on Sunday!
Please note that supporters will be located in the South Stand of the BrewDog Stadium, with entry via Turnstiles 10-14 in the South East section of the ground.
- Adults – £5
- Concession – £3
- Juniors – £2
- Saints 2026 Members – FREE
🏉 COMMUNITY CLUB TAKEOVER – BLACKBROOK
We’re committed to the continued growth of the St.Helens Women’s youth development and to developing young female players for the Saints.
Our Women’s youth programme now includes the Under-15s Pathway To Performance (P2P) and our Academy Under-19s team. Along with RFL Girls Talent Hubs, Girls Development Camps (Years 7-11) and the RugBees initiative (ages 7-11) with the Saints Community Development Foundation.
In recent seasons, St.Helens Women have been proud to see players come through our youth system to become Women’s First Team Saints players, showing there is a pathway for aspiring talents. Young girls can follow in the footsteps of Saints such as Alyx Bridge, Olivia Leach, Luci McColm, Erin McDonald, or Katie Mottershead, to name just a few.
However, without the hard work of so many people who are involved in local community rugby league clubs, the Saints Women’s youth programme would not be possible. So, throughout the 2026 Women’s Rugby League season, each home fixture at the BrewDog Stadium for St.Helens Women will also double as a Community Club Takeover!
Blackbrook are our takeover team this week!
We are delighted to confirm that girls from the local club will be official team mascots for the Challenge Cup fixture against Catalans and will walk about with the team ahead of the game. Blackbrook club is run by an incredible set of volunteers who also want to acknowledge the hard work of all the parents who help with setup and preparation on match days, so that all their young players can enjoy playing rugby league.
As well as doing an amazing job supporting the girls on the field, the coaches and volunteers at Blackbrook are also supporting two of their female players in their battles off the field, with one player having received a Leukemia diagnosis and another player living with Epilepsy. All the best wishes of the club go out to these girls and their families.
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Venue: Blackbrook Sports & Recreation Club, WA11 9BB
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Website: blackbrookroyals.co.uk
