Trailblazing Rugby League Lionesses at Pontefract Museum for National Sporting Heritage Day
Posted: 19/09/23
Stars of women’s rugby league are coming to Pontefract Museum for an exciting special event to celebrate the Women in Rugby League: Life with the Lionesses exhibition on Saturday 30 September.
The motivational touring exhibition showcases the women pioneers of international rugby league. It reveals how these inspirational women challenged the sport’s traditional male supremacy and follows their ground-breaking journey on and off the field.
Saturday 30 September is National Sporting Heritage Day and it will also be visitors’ last chance to see the exhibition at Pontefract Museum as its nine months’ residency comes to an end.
Cllr Michelle Collins, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: “We are rightly proud of our sporting heritage in the Wakefield district and it has been an honour to host the Life with the Lionesses touring exhibition here in our rugby league heartlands.
“This special event is a unique opportunity to meet legends of the game in person. I hope lots of people will head down to the museum to mark National Sporting Heritage Day and give this inspirational exhibition a fitting send off.”
To mark the occasion, legendary Lionesses will be visiting the museum to chat to visitors and show off memorabilia from their playing careers. Pontefract Museum and Women in Rugby League would also love to hear from visitors about their experiences of playing rugby league at any age or level.
The Lionesses confirmed to appear at the event include Joanna Carr-Will (Great Britain Lionesses, 1996 & 1998), Rebecca Stevens (Great Britain Lionesses, 1998, 2000 & 2002), and Kim Field (England Lionesses, 2010-2013.) Joanna is born and bred in Pontefract and played for Wakefield Panthers in Featherstone as well as representing Great Britain in 1996 and 1998. In 2022, she became the first women’s international player to receive her rugby league heritage number. Rebecca represented Yorkshire before being called up to the Great Britain squad, joining the 1998 tour to New Zealand. She also played in the World Series in 2000 and hung up her boots after a tour of Australia in 2002. Kim played internationally in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. She represented the England Lionesses, who were formed in 2007.
Visitors to the event can also enjoy rugby league themed crafts and family activities and watch archive match footage and exclusive player interviews.
The Women in Rugby League National Sporting Heritage Day Celebration Event is at Pontefract Museum, Saturday 30th September, 11am-3pm.
Entrance is free and drop-in. Booking is not required.
Full details can be found at:
National Sporting Heritage Day Celebration | Facebook
National Sporting Heritage Day Celebration | Experience Wakefield
The Women in Rugby League: Life with the Lionesses exhibition is at Pontefract Museum until 30 September 2023. Opening hours and visitor information can be found at:
https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/museums-and-castles/pontefract-museum
https://experiencewakefield.co.uk/event/women-in-rugby-league-life-with-the-lionesses-exhibition/
National Sporting Heritage Day is an annual event hosted by Sporting Heritage, supporting community sporting heritage activity across the UK.