RFL accused of "sexism" after new rules in grass roots game
Some female grass root rugby players in West Yorkshire have told us the new rules about what age they can join certain levels of the games is "sexist"
The RFL insists the new rules around when women can play at the open age of rugby league is purely based on medical advice.
It's after they ruled men can be 16 to play and train in open age, but women have to be 17.
The WRLA - Women's Rugby League Association posted on Facebook saying: 'Following the directive from the RFL, players in the WRLA winter league have to be 17 to register to play. Any issues in relation to this rule change please contact the RFL and the Girls & Womens Management Group as unfortunately this is out of our control'.
We contacted the RFL and they told us: "The recommendation came from a report which appeared in the Journal of Sports Science called “Injury risk factors and barriers to their mitigation for women playing rugby league.
"So the report was specific to women’s and girls’ Rugby League. Similar work is ongoing for men’s / boys’ Rugby League – with the timescale of that affected by the parallel work of the sport’s recently introduced Brain Health Group.
"However the specific issue highlighted in the recommendation for a change in the women’s game related to ACL injuries – you’ll be aware that the profile of that issue has since increased considerably, largely driven by football – in Rugby League, we’d already had an unusual number of such injuries among the girls on our Diploma in Sporting Excellence (Dise) college athletes."
Chloe Brown plays for Odsal Sedbergh Sirens, we asked what she would do, if she was 16: "I'd of been pushed away from the sport, because I played football before this, I think I would have just gone back to football, because obviously if they're pushing you out the sport where you want to go to, what's the point in staying if you still have to wait another year, when I could continue my fitness elsewhere."
Kayleigh Booth, who's 17, and also plays for Odsal said: "It's such a controversial topic to talk about, but the way, it might not have been intended for it to be like this, but the way they have displayed it and announced it, sort of distributed this news, it comes across as sexism."
When we told the RFL some women we're calling the new rules "sexist", they said: "The recommendation to make the change stressed the need for Rugby League to offer more options below open age – ideally a competition for 16-18 year olds, supporting the existing options in the Women’s Super League Under-19s competition, and other playing opportunities in schools and colleges.
"Those discussions are ongoing as a matter of urgency, as clearly the last thing Rugby League wants to do is lose players, following the growth in Women’s and Girls’ Rugby League in recent years – it is possible that the increase in the eligible age to play in open age rugby league will lead to an increase in the numbers of players and therefore teams keen to play in a youth competition.
"However the sport must always be guided by the best medical and scientific evidence, to prioritise player welfare."