York Valkyrie

The York Valkyrie are the women's rugby league team of York RLFC (known as York City Knights from 2002 to 2022) based in York, England. The Valkyrie, who were established in 2016 as the York City Knights Ladies, compete in the Women's Super League and play their home games at York Community Stadium which is also home to the York RLFC men's team, the York Knights, and football club, York City F.C.

York RLFC
Club information
Full nameYork Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)Valkyrie
Colours Black and Amber
Founded2016 (2016)
WebsiteOfficial website
Current details
Ground(s)
CompetitionRFL Women's Super League
20231st
Current season
Records
Women's Super League1 (2023)
League Leaders' Shield2 (2022, 2023)

History

In May 2016 the York City Knights Ladies team was launched in partnership with the Knights Foundation. The team was formed to take part in the Women's Summer Merit League and although it included several players from the York Ladies team who had competed in the Women's Rugby League Association (winter season) League the head coach, Andy Fletcher, described it as "a brand new club and a brand new team".[1][2][3] The previous club had been based at the New Easrwick All Blacks ground and also used the facilities at York Acorn.[4] The partnership meant that the team had use of the facilities at the Knights training base at York St John University's sports park.[1][3]

In 2017 the team went undefeated in the Merit League and won the Challenge Shield.[5][6] They were accepted into the RFL Women's Super League in 2018[7] but had a poor start losing their first game 40–0 to St Helens.[8] The team initially struggled in the Super League where their first win did not come until their tenth match when they defeated Featherstone Rovers 20–12,[6] and they won only one game in the 2019 season.[9] Following the Covid-enforced cancellation of the 2020 season, the team made several changes both on and off the field. To provide off-field support for the team coaches the club created the role of ladies team manager in 2020 and in April 2021 Lindsay Anfield was appointed as their first director of women's rugby league.[10][11] A few weeks later five players from Anfield's former club, Castleford, joined the team.[12][13] York reached the final of 2021 Challenge Cup[10] and in the league they qualified for the play-off semi-finals.[14] They began the 2022 season by winning the inaugural Women's Nines[15] and went on to be the winners of the 2022 Women's Super League Leaders' Shield.[16] They also had three players shortlisted for the 2022 Woman of Steel including Tara-Jane Stanley, who won the award, and Hollie-Mae Dodd, who was named 2022 Young Player of the Year.[17] [18]

First York bus promoting York RLFC's re-branding[19]

On 14 October 2022 York City Knights announced that the club had changed its name to York RLFC, with the men's team still being known as the Knights and the women's team becoming the Valkyrie. As part of the rebrand both teams introduced new logos.[20] In January 2023, the team became the second in the Super League to announce that it would introduce payments for their players following the statement made in October by Leeds Rhinos.[21][22] In the 2023 season, York lost in the semi-finals of both the Women's Nines[23] and the Challenge Cup,[24] but went unbeaten in the league to retain their League Leaders' Shield and claimed the Super League title with a 16–6 win against Leeds in the Grand Final.[25] Sinead Peach, who was named team captain at the start of the season,[26] won the 2023 Woman of Steel, and Lindsay Anfield was named Women's Super League Coach of the Year.[27]

Stadiums

York St John University Sports Park
Main article: York St John University § York St John University Sports Park
A group photo of two rugby league teams on a sports field
York Valkyrie with the PNG Orchids (20 October 2022)

In 2012 York St John University acquired a sports park on Haxby Road, York, which they named 'York St John University Sports Centre Nestlé Rowntree Park'.[28] A multi-million-pound redevelopment included the creation of a 3G pitch for football and rugby.[29] The use of the sports park as a training base for the rugby club is part of a partnership agreement with the university.[30] The women's team also used it for playing their home matches.[2] On 23 April 2017 York City Knights Ladies played their first match at the sports park winning 10–8 against Huddersfield St Joseph’s Ladies.[3][31]

In 2021 a £1 million investment, partly funded by the Rugby League World Cup CreatedBy programme, was used to build a 4G pitch matching the specifications of York Community Stadium.[30][32] During the 2021 Rugby League World Cup the sports park hosted the Cook Islands women's team[33] and was the venue for the warm-up match between the Valkyrie and the Papua New Guinea Orchids on 20 October 2022.[34]

York Community Stadium
Main article: York Community Stadium

The York Community Stadium, which is home to football club York City F.C. and York RLFC, was first proposed in 2009 but due to numerous delays it was not completed until December 2020.[35] However, the restrictions at the start of the 2021 Super League season meant that matches were the split between venues in Leeds and Warrington.[36] In May 2021, the Valkyrie played their first match at the Community Stadium; the semi-final of the Challenge Cup in which a hat-trick by Savannah Andrade saw York overcome Castleford 32–4.[37][38] The stadium, which has a capacity of 8,500,[39] was a venue for the 2021 Women's Rugby League World Cup.[40] In October 2023, the crowd of 4,547 for the match between York Valkyrie and Leeds Rhinos set an attendance record for a RFL Women's Super League Grand Final.[41]

Players

2023 Squad
York Valkyrie 2023 Squad
First team squad Coaching staff
  • 1 Tara-Jane Stanley – FB
  • 2 Liv Whitehead
  • 3 Tamzin Renouf
  • 4 Emma Kershaw
  • 5 Georgia Taylor
  • 6 Sade Rihari
  • 7 Liv Gale
  • 8 Liv Wood
  • 9 Sinead Peach (c)
  • 10 Jas Bell
  • 11 Lacey Owen
  • 12 Savannah Andrade
  • 13
  • 14 Aimee Staveley
  • 15 Rhiannion Marshall
  • 16 Ashleigh Hyde
  • 17 Bettie Lambert
  • 18 Grace Field
  • 19 Georgie Hetherington
  • 20 Alisha Clayton
  • 21
  • 22 Ellie Hendry
  • 23 Daisy Sanderson
  • 24 Chloe Smith
  • 25 Eva Izumi
  • 26 Kacey Davies
  • 27 Jess Sharp
  • 28 Chevelle Clarke
  • 29 Elisa Akpa
  • 30 Carrie Roberts
  • 31 Alex Stimpson



Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice captain(s)

Updated: 2 August 2023
Source(s):

Internationals

Players who earned international caps while playing for York City Knights Ladies or York Valkyrie:

Seasons
Season League Play-offs Challenge Cup Refs
Division P W D L F A Pts Pos
2017 Merit League 76102805813 1st - R1 [48]
2018 Super League 121011785482 7th - SF [49][48]
2019 Super League 131012685202 7th - R2 [50][51][48]
2020 Super League Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [36]
2021 Super League 750219810610 4th Lost in Semi-final RU [52][53][54][48]
Play-offs 420252664 3rd
2022 Super League 87012425814 1st Lost in Grand Final SF [55][56][57]
2023 Super League 109103767419 1st Won in Grand Final SF [58][25][24]

    Honours

    References
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    2. Martini, Peter (29 June 2022). "FEATURE: New high for York City Knights Ladies as women's rugby league continues to grow". The Press. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
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