Women's UK Super League Goes to 12 Teams

Women's participation in Rugby League is growing very quickly and the potential is huge. Back in the inaugural 2017 Super league season, just four teams competed in that competition. The following year seven sides, 2019 eight (2020 cancelled) and in 2021 ten. For 2022 there will be twelve sides! The additions are the Barrow Raiders and Leigh Miners Rangers. 

A problem with expansion is that new clubs understandably struggle to compete against more established sides. Even with the current teams, some one sided results were achieved. This is something to expect because depth in quality takes time. A fine initiative to deal with this issue is dividing the teams into two divisions of six with promotion and relegation between them. One up and one down. 

Group 1 eligibility was determined by choosing the five sides that competed in the SL playoffs and the team that won the Shield final (Huddersfield). The newly promoted sides to Super League Group 2 were the two top teams from the Championship (division two).         

All of this is taking place in the UK's RL heartland but the rest of the country isn't being ignored, with opportunities for new teams to form in the south. Any new sides would add to the six sides that were involved in SL South during 2021. Careful planning is needed to create sustainable growth that also produces competitive fixtures.