First Women’s Super League fixture to be televised on Sky Sports

Sky Sports has delivered another huge boost to Women’s Rugby League, by announcing to broadcast the Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final next month.

‘Sky Sports has enjoyed a huge summer of women’s sport, with the Netball World Cup, The Ashes and most recently the Solheim Cup. We are proud to add the Women’s Super League Grand Final to our coverage, giving the event the platform it deserves. There is so much talent in the game, it’s inspiring for the next generation and everybody else to watch.’ – Director of Sky Sports Production, Steve Smith

It will be the first Women’s Super League fixture to be televised, and Sky’s first live domestic women’s match.

The news follows the recent announcement of Betfred as the first title sponsors of the Women’s Super League, and the switch of the BWSL Grand Final to the Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens on Friday October 11th – the night before the men’s Betfred Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.

“We’re thrilled to make this announcement, and look forward to Sky Sports providing their usual outstanding coverage of one of the game’s newest events. Women’s Rugby League has made rapid strides in the last couple of years, and the development of the Women’s Super League, now sponsored by Betfred, has been at the forefront of that.” – Ralph Rimmer, the Chief Executive of the Rugby Football League

Castleford Tigers earlier this week clinched the League Leaders’ Shield for the Betfred Women’s Super League for the first time with a home match against York City Knights at the Mend-a-Hose Jungle.

There is one more round of fixtures remaining before the top four play-offs, with St Helens and Leeds also guaranteed to qualify, and the 2018 champions Wigan Warriors currently in fourth – which would mean a trip to Castleford in the semi finals. The Women’s Super League was launched in 2017, with Bradford Bulls the inaugural champions, beating Featherstone Rovers in the Grand Final.

Wigan beat Leeds in last year’s Grand Final, which was also played at the Manchester Regional Arena.

“We’ve been able to tell that story through regular coverage on Our League, and this year we’ve also broadcast that Our League coverage through the Twitch platform which has taken our viewing figures beyond 200,000 for Women’s Rugby League in 2019. The quality of Rugby League on the pitch is attracting bigger crowds and greater media profile off it, and having the Grand Final live on Sky will be a perfect reflection of that – especially coming on the Friday night before the climax of the men’s Super League season at Old Trafford.” – Ralph Rimmer, the Chief Executive of the Rugby Football League