Women's Challenge Cup
{{Short description|Women's rugby league competition}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox rugby league football competition
|name = Women's Challenge Cup
|current_season = 2025 Women's Challenge Cup
|logo = Rugby league challenge cups.jpg
|caption = The women's, men's, and wheelchair Challenge Cup trophies
|pixels = 300
|alt =
|sport = Rugby league
|formerly =
|founded = 2012
|inaugural = 2012
|folded =
|replaced =
|ceotag =
|ceo =
|teams =
|championtag = Winners
|champion = {{Rlw team|st helens|icon=l}}
|season = 2024
|most_champs = St Helens
|count = 8
|TV =BBC
|website = [https://www.rugby-league.com/competitions/pro-national/betfred-womens-challenge-cup Women's Challenge Cup]
|related_comps = Women's Super League
Women's Super League South
Championship
League 1
}}
The Women's Challenge Cup is a rugby league knockout competition organised by the Rugby Football League. The competition started in 2012.
History
=2012–2016: Foundations=
The Women's Challenge Cup was set up in 2012{{cite web |url=https://www.rugby-league.com/challengecup/coral_womens_challenge_cup |title=Coral Women's Rugby League Challenge Cup Roll of Honour |date=2019 |publisher=Rugby Football League |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425181320/https://www.rugby-league.com/challengecup/coral_womens_challenge_cup |archive-date=25 April 2019 |access-date=26 April 2019 |url-status=live}} to run alongside the men's competition to give women's rugby teams more competitive games and to give the sport a bigger profile by attaching it to the Challenge Cup. Most teams in the first few years were community clubs and had no links to professional men's clubs. In 2014 the RFL set up an amateur league for the women's game, to help more women's teams get regular game time.{{cite web|url=https://www.rugby-league.com/uploads/docs/%E2%80%98These%20Girls%20Can%E2%80%99.pdf |title=These Girl Can: The Wider Impacts of the Development and Growth of Women's & Girls' Rugby League (March 2021) |pages=16–19 |publisher=Rugby Football League |access-date=19 May 2023}}
=2017–2020: Exposure=
In 2018 the competition started to receive a much higher profile, with the final being broadcast live on the BBC Sport website.{{cite web |url=https://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/article/51616/womens-challenge-cup-final-and-shield-to-be-streamed-live |title=Women's Challenge Cup final and Shield to be streamed live |publisher=Bradford Bulls |date=3 August 2018 |access-date=26 April 2019}} In 2019 bookmakers Coral agreed to sponsor the competition – in addition to their sponsorship of the men's Challenge Cup – and it was also announced that the final of the 2019 Cup would be played as part of a triple-header with the semi-finals of the men's 2019 Challenge Cup at the University of Bolton Stadium on 27 July 2019.{{cite web |url=https://www.nwemail.co.uk/sport/17373605.challenge-cup-2019-rfl-confirm-new-sponsor-and-semi-finals-double-header/ |title=Challenge Cup 2019: RFL confirm new sponsor and semi-finals double-header |work=The Mail |date=21 January 2019 |access-date=26 April 2019}} The 2019 competition also saw the introduction of a new trophy commissioned by the RFL.{{cite web|url=https://www.rugby-league.com/article/22235 |title=Coral Women's Challenge Cup - new trophy for Rugby League |publisher=Rugby-League.com |date=25 July 2019 |access-date=10 May 2023}} In 2020, the competition was suspended after the first round and later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
= 2021–present: Restructuring=
In the 2021 competition, entry was restricted to the ten teams in the Super League.{{cite web |title=Draw details for AB Sundecks 1895 Cup and Betfred Women's Challenge Cup |url= https://www.rugby-league.com/article/24448/draw-details-for-ab-sundecks-1895-cup-and-betfred-women%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%E2%84%A2s-challenge-cup |publisher=Rugby-League.com | date=24 April 2021 |access-date=4 April 2024}} The following year the competition expanded to 16 teams (12 Super League, three Championship and one Super League South) and a group stage was introduced with the top two teams from the four groups advancing to the quarter-final stage.{{cite web |title=A new format, a new final venue - Why we should look forward to the 2022 Women's Challenge Cup |url=https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/a-new-format-a-new-final-venue-why-we-should-look-forward-to-the-2022-womens-challenge-cup-46535/ |website=Serious About Rugby League | date=11 December 2021 |access-date=4 April 2024}}
Finals
=List of teams by number of wins=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"
|+{{screen reader-only|List of teams by number of wins}} ! scope="col" | ! scope="col" |Club ! scope="col" |Wins ! scope="col" |Runners ! scope="col" |Winners ! scope="col" |Runners up | ||||
| scope="row" |1
|{{Rlw team|st helens|icon=l}}{{efn|group=wins|as Thatto Heath (2013–2016)}}||8||0||2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024|| | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope="row" |2
|{{Rlw team|leeds|icon=l}}||2||3||2018, 2019||2022, 2023, 2024 | ||||
| scope="row" |3
|{{Rlw team|bradford|icon=l}}{{efn|group=wins|as Bradford Thunderbirds (up to 2015)}}||1||3||2017||2012, 2013, 2014 | ||||
| scope="row" |4
|{{Rlw team|featherstone|icon=l}}||1||2||2012||2015, 2017 | ||||
| scope="row" |5
|{{Rlw team|castleford|icon=l}}||0||2|| ||2018, 2019 | ||||
| scope="row" rowspan="2"|6
|{{Rlw team|leigh miners rangers|icon=l}}||0||1|| ||2016 | ||||
| {{Rlw team|york 2017|icon=l}} | 0 | 1 | 2021 |
{{notelist|group=wins}}
Challenge Shield
Between 2012 and 2019 teams that were knocked out of the cup in the early rounds went on to compete in the Challenge Shield competition.{{cite web|url=http://www.abrighterleague.com:80/news/womens-rugby-league-heads-into-summer |title=Women’s Rugby League heads into summer |website=A Brighter Future |publisher=Rugby Football League |date=9 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919204242/http://www.abrighterleague.com:80/news/womens-rugby-league-heads-into-summer |archive-date=19 September 2012}} In 2021, with entry to the Challenge Cup restricted, the Rugby Football League launched a Women's League Cup for teams outside of the Super League and Championship.{{cite web |title=Dewsbury Moor Ladies win inaugural Women's League Cup |url=https://www.rugby-league.com/article/35855/dewsbury-moor-ladies-win-inaugural-womens-league-cup |publisher=Rugby-League.com | date=11 August 2021 |access-date=4 April 2024}} In 2022, the League Cup was opened to teams from the Championship, with the two sides that did not progress from the group stage of the Challenge Cup entering the League Cup at the quarter-final round.{{cite web|url=https://www.hullfc.com/blog/2022/04/05/hull-fc-to-face-hull-kr-in-womens-league-cup-quarter-finals/ |title=Hull FC To Face Hull KR In Women’s League Cup Quarter-Finals |publisher=Hull F.C. |date=5 April 2022 |access-date=5 May 2024}} In 2024, the League Cup also included a League Plate competition{{cite web|url=https://www.rugby-league.com/article/62962/sewell-group-craven-park-to-host-2024-womens-nines-finals-day |title=Sewell Group Craven Park to host 2024 Women's Nines Finals Day |publisher=Rugby-League.com |date=16 July 2024 |access-date=8 April 2025}} and these were renamed as the Challenge Shield and Challenge Plate in 2025.{{cite web|url=https://www.salfordreddevils.com/salford-to-lock-horns-with-wakefield-in-womens-challenge-shield/ |title=Salford to lock horns with Wakefield in Women's Challenge Shield |website=Salford Red Devils |date=7 April 2025 |access-date=8 April 2025}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+{{screen reader-only|List of finals}} !scope="col"|Year !scope="col"|Winning team !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Losing team !scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row"|2012
|{{leagueicon|widnes|16}} Widnes Vikings |style="text-align:center"| 40–10 |{{Rlw team|stanningley|icon=l}} |
|---|
| scope="row"|2013
|Normanton Knights |style="text-align:center"|34–14 |{{Rlw team|featherstone|icon=l}} |
| scope="row"|2014
|{{Rlw team|featherstone|icon=l}} |style="text-align:center"|64–14 |{{Rlw team|stanningley|icon=l}} |
| scope="row"|2015
|colspan=3 {{N/A|unknown}} | |
| scope="row"|2016
|{{Rlw team|thatto heath|icon=l}} Reserves |style="text-align:center"|62–6{{0|0}} |Whitley Bay Barbarians |
| scope="row"|2017
|{{Rlw team|york 2017|icon=l}} |style="text-align:center"|26–24 |{{Rlw team|army|icon=l}} |
| scope="row"|2018
|{{Rlw team|bradford|icon=l}} |style="text-align:center"|44–16 |{{Rlw team|stanningley|icon=l}} |
| scope="row"|2019
|{{Rlw team|army|icon=l}} |style="text-align:center"|40–4{{0|0}} |{{Rlw team|york 2017|icon=l}} |
Sponsorship
See also
{{Portal|Sports}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Women's Challenge Cup}}
{{Great Britain rugby league links}}
Category:2012 establishments in England
Category:Women's rugby league competitions in England