Training for the coming season began on Wednesday evening and with attendance of 40 girls across three age groups the future is looking bright.  

Batley Bulldogs are the only Professional club with a full female section providing a pathway for girls from age 11 to open age.

The Under 12s had a brilliant first season last year, the U16s won back to back league titles and the newly formed women’s team is competing well in the WRLA Division 1.

This Sunday, 8 January Batley’s women’s team will play Hunslet Warriors in the quarter final of WRLA Cup. The game will take place at Batley High School with a 2pm kick off.  Come along and get a taste of women’s rugby league.

Craig Taylor has said: “given the guidance, tools and freedom to express themselves it’s amazing what women & girls from all backgrounds can achieve.”

In October 2015 Craig took his U16 team on a tour of Australia.  The tour was so successful that two of the players, Evie Kilburn, Millie Taylor (as part of a NRL outreach programme) were invited to play for Australian school champions Merrimac High. They were accompanied by Craig, who was invited to coach and spend time with Queensland development staff on their tour of New Zealand.

Head of the Merrimac Rugby program, Dave MacColl, is happy for more of the Bulldogs girls to gain experience from playing with the Australians. Whilst a number of Australian girls have discussed the possibility of coming to play for Batley and gaining placement at a school in England for 4 to 8 weeks. While some of the U16s squad have been invited to play with the Merrimac team in Cairns in late June this year, for 2 weeks, at a national festival.

Batley Bulldogs are breaking new ground with this association with Australia and hopefully this will lead to girls from both sides of the world swapping places, making new long lasting friendships, playing rugby and studying in a different country. The Bulldogs are the first female club to offer this exciting opportunity at moment in the UK.

Craig has also teamed up with former professional rugby league England international, Ikram Butt to organise the Jo Cox Memorial Tour. A ground breaking programme of events designed to encourage women and girls in Pakistan to take part in rugby league and/or rugby union.

With the firm belief that taking part in rugby of either code is a wonderful development tool for women and girls Craig is also taking his rugby union coaching badges and is helping Morley Rugby Union develop a girls section.

Bulldogs U13 girls will play for Morley RUFC in the winter with Craig coaching there while the U16s will play for Doncaster RUFC. Some of the union girls will swap coded to join Batley for league programme in the summer. Committees at both clubs think it’s a great initiative, orchestrated by Craig, to get girls playing both codes and learning from each other.

Craig tells us that this is all about girls playing and coaches enjoying their coaching.  It’s not just the players that can learn from each other, as coaches they can take good practice from our respective codes and become better coaches for the girls we coach. It’s a win win for all concerned.

And, Craig will be taking part in a panel speaking about “getting women into sport” event at Kirklees College on 18th January.

If you are interested in being a part of this fantastic Club then you can get in touch either via this website or contact Craig Taylor directly via Twitter: @Coach_craig40

Sponsorship and partnership opportunities are also available for this season for kit, players, ground and programme once again please get in touch if you would like to be involved in this amazing success story.

After hearing that Evie and Millie had been invited to return to Australia in order to play for Australian school Champions Merrimac High, and take part in a tour of New Zealand, [and Craig had been invited to coach] WRLA decided to offer financial as well as moral support.

WRLA’s generous donation has gone a long way to help the girls and Craig take up this opportunity of a lifetime.

The sponsorship will see WRLA’s name and logo printed on all kit being made for the trip which will hopefully  promote participation in the women’s game in both this country and the southern hemisphere.

WRLA is the oldest women’s playing league in the world enabling women and girls, from the age of sixteen, to play rugby league during the traditional winter season.

WRLA Chair Steve Manning said: “On behalf of WRLA I would like to congratulate Craig and his two Batley Bulldogs Under 16 girls Evie and Millie, in being invited to play for Australian school Merrimac High this September. It is a chance of a lifetime for them to be involved in playing girls rugby league at the highest level and it’s a compliment to all the hard work done at Batley.

“When WRLA became aware of the opportunity the committee unanimously agreed that we should help to finance them for the trip and agreed from our limited funds to support them with £1200 sponsorship. We hope that will help in their goal to reach the financial figure to allow them all to achieve their dream. Craig helped WRLA with sponsorship earlier in the year and this was our chance to help him and the girls.

“The sponsorship will see the name WRLA and its logo emblazoned on their apparel for the trip and we hope that our own contribution will help to assist the growth and the ongoing participation of girls and clubs playing rugby league throughout the country, both in winter and summer, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. We are looking at both the small and big picture of girls and women’s rugby league and hope that by doing this we help to take our game forward.”

Craig Taylor said: “I know that it isn’t easy to get any sort of sponsorship these days giving the current economic situation of the country and my previous experience when getting funding together for last year’s Batley Bulldogs Girls Under 16’s tour of Australia. It was done and that was an experience.

“From that we have had the honour of both me and two of the players from that tour being invited to play for an Australian schools side which will create a bit of unprecedented history in the girls and women’s game throughout the world. This is a fantastic reward for two girls who have played from the age of 6 and who eat, sleep and breathe rugby league.

“I would like to thank WRLA for this sponsorship which will go a long way to reaching the financial goal we need to make this possible. We will all be proud to wear the clothing bearing the WRLA name and logo and can’t thank them enough for their support.”

Lead photo shows: Karen Lewis WRLA Treasurer, Craig Taylor, Millie Taylor, Evie Kilburn and Amanda ‘Wiggy’ Wigglesworth WRLA Public Relations Officer.

Report courtesy of WRLA

Under 16s girls players Evie Kilburn, Millie Taylor have been invited as part of a NRL outreach program to play for Australian school champions Merrimac High. They will be accompanied by Craig Taylor who has been invited to coach and spend time with Queensland development staff on their tour of New Zealand.

Millie Taylor

Craig and the girls will attend Merrimac High School on Monday and Tuesday as part of the rugby league programme before flying out to Auckland on 14th September.

The girls have a gruelling schedule, with games on 5 of the 7 days they are out there. Evie and Millie will play against the New Zealand School Champions, plus 2 other games at rugby league. They will also take part in a number of rugby union 7s matches.

It’s an amazing achievement for 2 female players from little old Batley to be invited to represent the Australian School Champions.

The girls know they have a tough task.

Millie said: “I’m so excited, but really nervous. I’ve played against some New Zealand girls before on last year’s tour in Ipswich, Queensland they bashed us Bulldog girls. That experience has made me a better player, and I can’t wait to get out there.”

“It’s a real privilege to be selected. It will be great to catch up with friends from the Gold Coast. I love the Bulldogs and I hope I don’t let anyone down.”

Evie Kilburn

Evie said: “I’m really, really excited to play for the Aussie’s, but very nervous. The Kiwis are big powerful girls, and they hit hard, I found that out last year. It’s a real honour to be part of this tour and hopefully Millie and I will do the Bulldogs family proud.”

Craig said: “These are two very talented players from a very talented u16s team.  But they could not do what they do week in week out without the support of their teammates.”

“The club look to have a number of future international players. Hopefully with our experience down under we can come back and make the Bulldogs women and girls section even stronger.”

Craig and the girls have been fundraising for the trip. Unlike here, girls’ rugby league is supported in Australia and the NRL have heavily subsidised the cost of the tour, but the Batley trio have to fund their own flights to Australia and their accommodation once there, which is why the club are accepting last minute donations. If you can help please contact Craig Taylor on 07745582387.

In the meantime, the club and girls would like to thank everyone: the WRLA, local businesses and individuals, for their help and generosity.

Craig also said: “The players and parents have been so supportive of Evie & Millie that’s great to see. I’ll make sure plenty of photos and reports get back to the club. I would like to thank everyone for their support.”

We look forward to following the progress of the Batley trio during the tour and know that they will make the most of this wonderful opportunity.

Report courtesy of Craig Taylor

Following on from the successful Batley Bulldogs girls U16 rugby league tour of Australia last October, two of the girls have been selected to represent and play for Australian School Champions Merrimac High on a tour of New Zealand.

Merrimac High runs a National Rugby League accredited rugby league program for girls. As part of that there is an outreach program that allows coaching staff to identify gifted and talented players from outside Queensland to play for or take part in the program.

Early on Wednesday morning, Batley Bulldogs players Evie Kilburn & Millie Taylor received their call up letters.

The Merrimac coaching staff were so impressed by their performances while on tour last year, they have invited them to take part and play in the school’s 10 day tour of New Zealand in September.

During the tour they will play: the New Zealand School Champions; a district team and Rugby Union 7’s as well as playing in a beach touch rugby tournament.

This is a fantastic reward for two girls who have played from the age of 6 and who eat, sleep and breathe rugby league.

However, Evie and Millie need to raise funds in order to take advantage of this wonderful experience and coach Craig Taylor has launched a Crowdfunding page:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/evie-millies-tour-fund

If you can help at all please donate to the fund.

The girls are due to leave for Australia on 7 September and on their return to the UK we will update you on how they have got on.

This is a fantastic opportunity for both the girls and an accolade to their club and coaches.

Report courtesy of Craig Taylor

The 16 strong squad, but barmy army of 49 set off on a 4 match tour on 20th of October 2015 to play the top sides in Queensland. The base for 3 weeks would be the picturesque surfers’ paradise.

The first game was against North Ipswich Tigers, who were the Queensland State Grand Final winners at club level.  The Bulldogs had been undefeated all season in the UK, but got the shock of their lives losing 48-0 to a side comprising many Kiwi and Tongan Girls.

Battered and bruised physically and mentally they had to pick themselves up and make the long journey up to the Sunshine Coast to play the District Rep team.

The Sunshine Coast Falcons were made up of the top 16 year old female players in the district.  It was a fantastic game, the Bulldogs showing real bravery and skill after the Ipswich battering.  The Bulldogs narrowly lost 20-16 and had two tries disallowed in the second half.

This gave them confidence for the next game as they knew they could compete and beat the Australian girls.

Game 3: Beenleigh High School, this team were the Queensland State Grand Final runners up at school level.  This was a brutal game played in 30+ temperatures.

The Bulldogs got through with real grit and togetherness to run out 8-14 winners.

This then led on to the fourth and final game v Australian School Champions Merrimac High.

Again this was a physical battle played in front of 1200 crowd and Channel 9 news covering the game. It was a scorching day, with the Batley girls 12-0 down at half time.  Some shaking and crying due to the heat.

The girls picked themselves up for the last 30 mins winning the second half 4-2 but losing the match, with the final score 14-4 to the Australian champions.

The Bulldogs girls earned praise from the development staff at Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans NRL teams.

One coach said to Bulldogs head coach Craig Taylor  “those pommy girls of yours have hearts as big as pumpkins mate – if you played at this level every week Grand Finals all the way – no one does that to Merrimac.”

The Australian people and players from all teams could not do enough for us. At one game the Jillaroos Australian Women’s National Team came to meet and greet the Batley girls.

The girls learned so much from the tour and have started this season with 7 wins from 7; bigger and stronger than ever.

“What they learned in Australia on tour you can’t teach on the training field” said coach Craig Taylor.  “The girls have seen what the game is like in the rugby capital of the world, it’s just made them hungry for more.

“Most of the girls are now focused on one day playing for England. The girls’ game is growing with very talented players at a number of clubs, but it gets no profile as a sport.  If more money was put into the sport, now by the next World Cup we would be right up there with the Aussies and Kiwis.”

Report courtesy of Craig Taylor