“We want to be a part of those leagues, we want to be able to compete with them, we’ve definitely paid attention. But that’s what you want so you know what you’re working towards. It was definitely an eye opener in terms of the level we’d like to get to. “Our first time ever getting a chance to do it. “The fact we got to take on some of those teams this year was super exciting,” added Treco. London Broncos Ladies got their first taste of elite women’s rugby league action during this year’s Challenge Cup.ĭuring the group stage, the team suffered a 76-0 defeat to St Helens and a 64-10 loss to the Warrington Wolves before bouncing back with a historic 40-4 win over 20 finalists Castleford Tigers. It’s making it that it’s there so that people can go and watch it if they want to.” Can London compete with Women’s Super League clubs? “Everyone was like ‘I’m going this weekend, I’m picking it over the union game that’s happening at Twickenham’. Which was different compared to previous years where it was just a handful of us involved with Broncos who were going. “This last Challenge Cup final, I had so many of my union friends and non-rugby friends who went to that final. “All of those things get people’s interest and make people think ‘I don’t have to go up North to watch rugby league, it’s on my front doorstep and I want to be a part of it’. “I think there just needs to be more exposure, getting it into schools, making sure it’s successful on television, bringing high profile games down to London,” said Treco. The Broncos captain believes bringing more high-profile fixtures – such as the women’s Challenge Cup final which took place at Wembley stadium last month – could further elevate that growth. Treco believes the sport needs more exposure in order to speed up its popularity in London. That is really exciting.” What’s next for rugby league in London?Ĭardiff Demons versus London Broncos in Wales, 2022 | Photo: Penallta Photographics/Alamy Live “They’re all starting to grow these teams that are wanting to get involved, play at a higher level and take the opportunity to play rugby league. “It shows that we can recruit younger players because you’re seeing the growth pop up with teams like Elmbridge Eagles, you’ve got Brentwood, you’ve got Brighton. She’s been coming training with us through a development programme we were running, and we were like ‘you are good enough to be in this team, play for us’. We had a girl step up from Brighton, she’s a 17-year-old. “Now, we’re recruiting players from clubs around the south. We’ve gone from our first game we ever played, we had 14 players and went down to 13 within the first 10 minutes or so due to an injury. “It’s been great from a player perspective. Now we have friends and family rushing down to our games, watching the live streams, being like ‘I have to watch this, I have to be a part of this’. “But from when we first played, people batted their eyes ‘oh, you’re playing rugby league, why are you doing that?’. There’s still definitely room to grow because we want this to be a sport that flourishes in the capital. Treco admitted the sport is growing in the English capital, with young players looking to take the opportunity to play rugby league. The 29-year-old has been with the London Broncos from the inaugural WSLS season in 2021 and continues to balance her league career with union duties for Richmond Rugby. She later moved to Brighton where the Sussex Marlins gave her the first taste of rugby league. Treco comes from the Bahamas and boasts a union background having started her rugby journey in the United States back in 2011. I think we have so much more to do at this point and it’s really exciting.” Three years only as a team and we’ve finally won that cup. “Going through the emotions of being like ‘wow, we really did do that’. I still haven’t really grasped what happened in the Grand Final. She told Love Rugby League: “It’s unreal at times. Team captain Treco was thrilled with the win but admits this is only the ‘beginning’ for her side. The team made history a fortnight ago as they powered to the Women’s Super League South title with a 22-10 victory over Cardiff Demons in the Grand Final.īroncos, who established a women’s team back in 2021, earned retribution from the 2022 showpiece which saw them lose to the Welsh outfit. Rugby league is ‘absolutely growing’ in London but the sport needs more ‘exposure’, according to London Broncos Ladies captain Courtney Treco.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |