Trailblazers of women's international rugby league to be celebrated in Hull exhibition

Several former rugby league lionesses including Nikki Carter, the team manger from 1996, and Donna Parker, from Hull, who played with the squad when they toured to Australia that year, will be appearing at a launch event tomorrow evening, telling of their experiences of playing international rugby league. Donna started her career playing for Hull Vixens and then for Yorkshire in the Lancashire county games in the 1980s and 90s. “I was in my 20s when I started and played for around 15 years,” she says.

Donna’s kicking game was her strength and she was picked to play for Great Britain against Australia in 1996. “My family and friends were so supportive – they were buzzing. I received cards and lots of people congratulating me at work. It was phenomenal. We had to fund ourselves to go out there. I worked at Birdseye and I received some sponsorship off them, which was lucky. We would do walks over the Humber Bridge and bucket collections.

" It was hard work but it was well worth it in the end. Playing at international level was more disciplined and it gave me confidence in my own abilities. We were the last team to beat the Australians in a three-match series and I still can’t believe it.

“My message to young women is, if you want to play rugby league you’ve got to work hard, play hard and stay on the right path...you’ll get there in the end.”

Life with the Lionesses is a heritage project which aims to raise awareness of those who pioneered Women’s International Rugby League.

Stories collected during the course of the project will be used as part of the exhibition which is touring to 10 venues across the North of England. They will also be shared on social media, as part of the Women in Rugby League archive at Heritage Quays at the University of Huddersfield and on a dedicated website. The exhibition showcases the women’s personal journeys on and off the field and will be at Hull History Centre until October 13.

The Life with the Lionesses project is led by Julia Lee, originally from Hull, one of the first women to referee men’s rugby league in the 1980s. It aims to deliver a programme of activities that will celebrate the history of the women’s game.

Julia, who has spent many years working to get the role of women in Rugby League recognised, says: “We are delighted to have been offered a platform for our exhibition in Hull. Women had to work so hard to get recognition for their achievements in rugby league and we are keen to tell their stories to a wider public. Now that there is going to be a Women’s Rugby League Hall of fame, it’s even more important to get the message out there and celebrate those early trailblazers.”