Boundary Park to host RL women’s county Roses match

THE RFL's use of Boundary Park for a top women’s coaching conference and a key women's game next month cements the Oldham Athletic stadium, not surprisingly, as a possible venue for more big matches in the 13-a-side code.

It might be famous for football, Oldham Athletic and the club's owner, Frank Rothwell, but rugby league is back there now in all its glory and the involvement of Oldham RLFC (1876) Ltd, has shown that the ambitious club's ten-year agreement to play there is but the forerunner of more interest from the RFL as our governing body.

The stadium, of course, is an absolute gem for rugby league as Oldham and its fans can testify after a full season there, to say nothing of the opinion of rugby league supporters from other clubs in Lancashire and Yorkshire who have travelled to Boundary Park this year.

To start with, the stadium is ideally situated geographically for rugby league, with Yorkshire just up the hill to the east and the whole of the county Palatine stretching out to the west.

It's also ideal in that it has a direct link with the country's entire motorway network. No matter where you are driving from you can get to within half a mile of the ground on the motorway, including coming down the M6 from Cumbria, a third heartland county alongside Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Parking isn't a problem and facilities in the new Joe Royle stand are first-class with private boxes, excellent viewing, first-class catering, the Broadway Suite, the public bar and a brand-new £1M pitch, funded by Oldham Council, able to cope with all weathers and all conditions. Those in charge are also in the process of constructing a new tunnel from the Joe Royle stand which will open up all sorts of possibilities about further development on the Broadway side of the ground.

Some would argue that once Oldham Rugby was in there on a long-term basis, once Frank Rothwell became a Roughyeds fan, and once the Latics management made it clear that they perceived Boundary Park to be a community stadium for the town as a whole, it was only a matter of time before the RFL added it to their list of possible venues.

Nevertheless, when the announcement was made, it was a hugely encouraging step for Latics, for Oldham Rugby, for the Roughyeds' long-term development in the women's game and for sport generally in this town.

With a capacity of around 13,000 it probably isn't big enough for big-time football, but for big games in rugby league its no doubt big enough to say nothing of its strategic position on the Lancashire-Yorkshire border.

The media release told us that the best of the Betfred Women's Super League (BWSL) will play each other at Boundary Park on Saturday, October 19 (2pm) as Lancashire Women v Yorkshire Women in preparation of England Women playing Wales at AMT Headingley on Saturday, November 2 (noon).

England Women head coach Stuart Barrow will select squads representing Lancashire and Yorkshire following the completion of the BWSL with regional training sessions taking place on Wednedsay, October 16.

The big event at Boundary Park on October 19, Lancashire v Yorkshire, is set to be a full celebration of the Women's and Girls' game which is going from strength to strength and in which Roughyeds hope to start up sooner rather than later.

The first-ever female coaching conference takes place at Boundary Park before the big inter-county game, a battle of the Roses, and the 50 or so who attend from across the community and professional game, no doubt including an Oldham group, will then head to the stands to watch what's sure to be an intense international trial that will be played under modified rules.

Said head coach Barrow:

Our events at Boundary Park will be a great way of bringing together the best players from the Betfred Women's Super League and to showcase their skills and talents in an area that is steeped in Rugby League. They will be part of the England squad or the Knights squad, which might include some new names.

Our game against Wales is on the horizon so October 19 will also serve as an intense warm-up match for the game at Headingley.

RFL head of Education, Dave Elliott said:

We are really looking forward to hosting the first Women's Coaching Conference . We have speakers who will be able to share invaluable insight and knowledge with the coaches in attendance. As the women’s game continues to grow I feel it is important that not only do we support them and provide our players with learning opportunities but that we do something similar with the coaches who are with them week in and week out.

Entrance to Boundary Park for this War of the Roses clash on October 19, under modified rules, will be FREE. Oldham will be there. Will YOU, given that our club has already received a £15,000 Sport England grant for its development of Women’s and Girls’ rugby under the watchful eyes of Joe Warburton and Beth Sutcliffe.

Joe, a former pro, is secretary of the club’s Players’ Association and a leading figure in the Roughyeds Pathway programme. Beth, a former England international, will bring all her experience to bear in the formation of girls’ teams across the borough and a team representing Oldham and a flag bearer for the club.

Both are heavily involved in the female game, which is going from strength to strength, and both will have a massive part to play in the Roughyeds’ progression regarding rugby league and the fairer form.

We have already reported thus:

“Girls’ rugby league in Oldham was given a major boost when the club’s Community Trust gained a £15,000 grant from Sport England. It will improve the opportunities available to girls in Oldham to take part in the sport as well as giving coaches funding for resources.

“Led by our head of women’s and girls’ development, Beth Sutcliffe, efforts will be made to establish girls teams from under-12s onwards across the borough. And as part of the club’s plans to develop a grounding base for it’s own women’s and girls’ team, the funding will see an increase in capacity of rugby league development in schools and community clubs across the town.

“The club aims to expand girls’ teams from under-12s across the borough with a view to relaunching its own open-age side for females.”

Anyone interested is asked to email beth.sutcliffe@roughyeds.co.uk

She was appointed by Oldham last November after a glittering playing career in which she played at top level in club rugby, including a stint with the Bradford treble-winning team of 2017, and internationally, including four World Cups.

She joined the club nearly a year ago with a mission to develop a pathway for women’s and girls’ rugby league in Oldham and that mission will hopefully take a major step forward when the RFL comes to Boundary Park on October 19.