Fresh from representing her country in the 2017 World Cup in Australia, England Women’s international, Lois Forsell, has become the first player to sign for the first Leeds Rhinos Women’s Team.
Lois, who works for the club’s official charity, Leeds Rhinos Foundation as their Women and Girls Development Officer is the first women ever to sign for the Rhinos ahead of the Women’s inaugural season in Super League in 2018.
The former Bradford Bull player, who started playing rugby league for East Leeds ARLFC, aged seven, said she is thrilled to be able to sign for her home town club.
“It’s exciting to play for my home town club,” Lois said. “I am a Leeds girl and started playing at my community rugby, East Leeds and I’ve played at teams in Hunslet when I went to move into the girls section. I have lived in the city all my life and went to University here and then luckily got my dream job working in the community for Leeds Rhinos Foundation. I have just come off the back of a great season in the first Women’s Super League competition with Bradford Bulls and I am excited to kick on after that with the Rhinos.”
Lois has been heavily involved in the formation of the Rhinos Women’s team and said it is not only a dream come true for her to represent the club she has supported all her life, but she believes it will also help inspire a new generation of female players.
“The success of the Rhinos in the Super League era has been fantastic for the city and I am sure this will have been an inspiration for boys to start playing rugby and to have, with ambition to play for the Rhinos. For myself and other female players growing up in Leeds, there wasn’t an opportunity to play for our home club until now at the highest level. This is why I am so excited to be part of this team and I hope it leads to more females seeing rugby league as a sport they can get involved in.”
The full squad will be announced next week, following a series of trials that have been monitored by coaching staff from Leeds Rhinos and new Women’s head coach – Rhinos prop Adam Cuthbertson.
“For me I already have a vested interest in this project as part of my role with Leeds Rhinos Foundation," added Lois. "I have seen a big increase in participation through my work in schools and club and this new team can only enhance this. I am really excited how the team will go in 2018 and the coming years.
“The trials have gone really well and this is the bloodline and the next generation and hopefully some of the players who represent the Rhinos will go onto play for England, as I did, in the next World Cup in 2021. We have had great support from the Rhinos, with members of the scholarship department and Barrie Eaton coming down to do some talent ID, so we have been able to get a lot of people coming down to look at the players and giving them more than one opportunity to come and train and play at John Charles so it’s exciting to see how we get on.”
Keep an eye out next week to see the full squad announcement for the first Rhinos Women’s team.