Clare Balding is hoping to use her two-year term as the president of the Rugby Football League to maximise the potential of women’s rugby league and help introduce professionalism for female players for the first time.
Balding took over as Tony Adams’s successor on Wednesday and while the former England footballer used his year in charge to work specifically on highlighting player welfare and rehabilitation, Balding – who fronted the BBC’s rugby league coverage for a number of years – said she wants to put the women’s game in as strong a position as possible going into next year’s World Cup.
Women’s rugby league has made strides in recent years but is still behind football and cricket and Balding is hopeful she can help nudge the sport towards a professional future. “What I would really like to focus on is the growth of the women’s game,” she said. “I can’t wave a magic wand but I will try and I will listen to suggestions.
“Let’s get girls in schools thinking about rugby league. If they want to be a part of a team and be a part of something then rugby league really is a terrific option. To do that, you have to change the thought processes and hopefully we can get into schools and show them there is something very appealing here.”
This year’s Women’s Super League appears unlikely to go ahead because of the coronavirus pandemic but Balding still sees an opportunity to highlight the spread of the competition. “It’s one thing for everyone to talk a good game and say they want to give the women’s game a profile but unless you get financial backing, you cannot take yourselves seriously.
“We don’t have the history of women’s football and most people won’t have seen the sport when the World Cup comes around. Professionalism can’t happen overnight but I think the World Cup will make a big difference in the same way it did for women’s football. I would also hope to spread the message to a slightly different audience and there are real opportunities. Capitalising on the World Cup is a golden opportunity for this sport.”
Balding also believes there is a gap in the market. “There is a chance for women’s rugby league to get sponsors the men’s game wouldn’t,” she said. “The women’s game matters hugely and there’s great potential for growth. That would involve me going into schools – which I’m happy to do – and understand what the facilities are at clubs.”
Balding also highlighted rugby league’s record with inclusivity as a key attraction for her in accepting the role. “It’s got further to go in that regard, there’s always room for improvements, but it’s ahead of the curve in many ways. I’m not the first female president of the RFL and women have been in senior roles in this sport for some time. Rugby league has an awful lot to offer.”
