Lisa McIntosh and Sally Milburn recall early tours of Australia where lack of support created a sisterhood
“Trailblazer” is overused in sport, but Lisa McIntosh embodies the word in every sense. A founding member of Great Britain’s women’s rugby league team – dubbed the Lionesses – she captained the side on their historic maiden tour of Australia in 1996.
The project, which was two years in the making and entirely self-funded, would lay the early foundations for women’s rugby league that today – with the women’s World Cup running alongside the men’s – is a world away from McIntosh and co’s experiences.
Each player had to raise £1,500 for the five-week trip, which was clubbed together through endless charity fundraisers and bucket collections.
In a measure of the sexist attitudes towards women who played the game, the team received next to no financial support from the Rugby Football League which, at the time, did not officially recognise female sides. Rather than deter, the organisation’s reluctance to support women’s players simply galvanised them and fostered a sisterhood among the group.