Jodie Cunningham: England captain on finding rugby league's next generation

Jodie Cunningham has played for England at each of the past three World Cups

Jodie Cunningham will fulfil her schoolgirl dream when she captains England in Saturday's Test match against France.

Fourteen years after making her debut, and a veteran of three World Cups, the 31-year-old will finally lead England for the first time.

While on the field she is spearheading England's build-up to the next World Cup in 2025, off it she is playing a vital role in shaping the whole future of women's rugby league.

"There were lots of emotions - excitement and pride, but then a little bit of anxiety as well," said Cunningham, recalling the moment she learned she was new coach Stuart Barrow's choice to skipper the team.

"It's an incredible group of girls with lots of experience and so many talented players, and it's me that's got to lead that group. But they will make the job easy and it's a massive honour."

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And she knows the importance of a successful international side in inspiring the next generation. Cunningham was an ambassador for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup - which was played last year because of the knock-on effects of the Covid pandemic - and has since been appointed as National Women's and Girls' Development Manager.

In her new role, she has already seen a measurable impact following England's high-profile journey to the semi-finals of last year's home tournament.

"For me it's the impact that you've seen on young girls," said Cunningham, who plays at club level for St Helens.

"And the general fan base - I've had so many people talking to me about the women's game on the back of the World Cup, who weren't necessarily rugby league fans but who watched it because they had some sort of connection to somebody or they'd seen it on in the pub, and they just fell in love with the game."

She is now helping to create new pathways for girls and women to play rugby league.

"In terms of numbers of girls, women and teams playing, they have gone up," she continued. "We're at record numbers. I'm constantly having calls and meetings with clubs wanting to start girls' and women's sections."

England were beaten by New Zealand in the semi-finals of last year's World Cup

But the sport does face two major hurdles in attracting more girls into the sport; the competition provided by other sports, especially football, and parental worries about the physical nature of the game.

"Girls are being pulled in a million different directions. Especially if you're a 'sporty' girl in school, you're going to be on various pathways and have a lot of opportunities put in front of you," said Cunningham.

"But I believe rugby league is a special sport, of course I do. What we need to do is take away some of the barriers that make girls apprehensive about trying it, or make parents a little bit apprehensive.

"It's about making sure that younger girls have the right environment to thrive in rugby league, enjoy it and develop.

"We've seen a lot of girls trying it at mixed-age groups, but then drop out. The drop-out rate is quite high. So we've developed a new programme, using the visibility of the World Cup.

"The Rugbee mascot is going to be part of our rugby's programme for girls from seven to 11. It's an all-girls programme, all about fun and development, it's not about teams playing home and away fixtures.

"It's about fun and all coming together, taking away some of that heavy contact and instead playing touch or tag and a little bit of technique development."

Cunningham knows that having a successful national team will go a long way to attracting more youngsters to have a go at the game.

And that starts against France in Warrington on Saturday.

"We're confident of the squad we've got," she said. "But they [France] are attracting a lot of young, fresh players from other sports, especially from rugby union.

"And they are preparing for a home World Cup, so we are expecting a real challenge."

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