Page 52 - Rugby League World (February 2020)

WORDS: LORRAINE MARSDEN
RD
W WO
:
S

Former Leeds Rhinos star Charlotte Booth is making

history down under as she becomes England's first

professional female Rugby League player.

W E’VE ALL talked about it - things
s
ake
we’d love to do to challenge and take
es. But
ourselves out of our comfort zones. But
ually
how many of us can say we’ve actually
ould
made that one big change that would
allow us to do it?
rmer
After two years of waiting and dreaming, former
Leeds Rhinos star Charlotte Booth has finally taken
the plunge and moved halfway across the world to
pursue her aim of being an NRL player. In doing so,
she now also becomes England’s first professional
female player.
The 26-year-old was part of the England squad
that received a one-off payment to play in the
inaugural World Nines, but her new contract with
the West Panthers in Brisbane sees her receive a
payment for playing throughout the season.
“It won't be enough to sit back, lounge by the
pool and live alone on, but it is enough to help cover
some of the costs, meaning I'll be able to get a bit
more of a casual job, like coffee shop work,” said
Booth, who graduated from Leeds Trinity University
just over 12 months ago with a degree in Exercise,
Health and Nutrition.
It was whilst she was there that she became the
first-ever Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme
(TASS) supported female Rugby League player.
TASS is a Sport England-funded partnership
between talented athletes, education institutions
and national governing bodies of sport to work
together to bring the best out of our country's most
exciting young talent.
“I have always been really keen to challenge myself
and have done so throughout my career,” she added.
“I was at Bradford Bulls when we won the treble
in 2017 and a lot of people questioned the decision
myself, Danika Priim and Lois Forsell made to
venture across to Leeds Rhinos. But at the time I was
ready to start a new chapter and kick my career on. “To get to that point would be the ultimate dream.
“We have been really successful at Leeds over the But for now, I just want to enjoy my rugby and the
last couple of years and for me, this move is the next sunshine. I’m a pretty laid back person so I am looking
step up to push myself. forward to enjoying the lifestyle out here as well.
“I know it’s a cliché, but if you want to be the best, “After playing here in the 2017 World Cup I
you have to play with the best and Australia have fell in love with the place and was really keen
been so successful recently and there are some great to get involved. I put a few feelers out to see if
players out there. anyone would be interested in signing an England
“West Panthers won their league last year so I International and it was always the aim to make the
am looking forward to the challenge of helping move as soon as I finished University.
them do that again as well as improving my own “But financially it wasn’t going to happen. I kept
individual game. talking to people out here over the last year and it got
“The Women’s game works differently out there. to the point where it was now or never.
We’ll play in the league with the Panthers until “I made contact with an agent in Australia and he
around May and then selection starts for NRL bridged the gap between the contacts I already had
teams. Scouts keep an eye on Panthers’ division and and getting me some contract offers.
select a certain amount of players to take part in an “It was a hard thing to do to tell everyone at Leeds
Interstate competition and from there you can get that I was going but the support I have had from
selected for the NRL. everyone there has been phenomenal.

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