Huddersfield Giants Women to turn professional under running of the rugby club
- Published
Huddersfield will form part of an expanded Women's Super League in 2024
Huddersfield Giants Women will become professional from 1 December and come under the rugby club's control, having been run by the Community Trust.
The Women's Super League side, who finished sixth in 2023, will be part of an expanded eight-team league for 2024.
Giants players will have full-time, bespoke support staff and access to medical care as part of the move.
Internationals will be contracted to avoid scenarios such as Shona Hoyle leaving for St Helens, external during 2022.
"We will reward those players who attain international honours financially and contract then as such so that mid-season movement as has currently occurred is a thing of the past," managing director Richard Thewlis told the club website., external
York Valkyrie, Wigan Warriors and Leeds Rhinos are among the clubs to already provide payment to players for appearances.
Thewlis said the women's team "no longer fits" the charitable aims of the Trust, and that "simply had to" come under the umbrella of the Giants sporting arm.
"Their development as a team and the wider growth of the women's game has been monumental in such a short period of time and its one that we want to embrace and grow with," Thewlis said.
"We are already a Women's Super League Club by right given our level of performance but we now want to press fast forward so to speak and really crack on.
"We have met all the increasingly costly standards set by the Rugby Football League for the Women's teams and will look to further commercialise the opportunities that this presents."
Among the positions the Giants wish to appoint to are a full-time manager, physiotherapist and marketing and media personnel, and player turnover is also expected.
"The 2024 squad of players will be different from the 2023 squad with incoming and outgoing players being a natural process," Thewlis added.
"I do hope though that the current sponsors and volunteers can stay involved and help us grow and go forwards and all can expect to hear very soon some pretty exciting appointments both on and off the field."