Twenty years ago, girls’ rugby in Barnsley was still finding its feet. The pathway was short, the opportunities limited and the try line felt a long way off.
That was until a teenage girl urged her dad to even the playing field.
Liz Lumb’s father Steve was then president of Barnsley RUFC, a rugby club whose history stretched back more than a century. Liz suggested they set up a girls’ team and Steve ran with the idea, going round secondary schools in Barnsley to recruit players.
What started as a handful of enthusiastic schoolgirls taking their first steps into rugby gradually grew into the formation of the senior women’s team in 2014.
The team has gathered momentum season after season, carrying Barnsley Ladies from a fledgling women’s section to one of Yorkshire’s most respected teams.
Since 2018, Barnsley Ladies have been competing in the Championship North 1, the third tier of English rugby just one step below the professional game. Players have gone on to represent Yorkshire at Twickenham, while others have earned opportunities at elite and international level.
Yet the club’s success has never been built around a handful of stars. Instead, it has been built on ordinary Barnsley women doing extraordinary things.
One player who’s experienced almost every stage of that journey is Simone ‘Simmy’ Saunders. She was 16 when she turned up for her first rugby training session in 2005 and remembers being upset that she broke her fingernail.
Nearly 20 years later, the second row forward has seen her squad have unbeaten seasons, back-to-back promotions, and voted women’s team of the year at the National Rugby Awards.
As Simmy prepares for her nineteenth season at Shaw Lane, she and her teammates are helping create opportunities that simply did not exist when she first stepped onto the training field.
Over the years Simmy has watched nervous newcomers arrive wondering whether rugby was for them, only to develop into confident players, leaders and role models.
One of those is Becky Patrick. When Becky first attended a Barnsley Ladies recruitment event at Grimethorpe, she was too shy to ask a question. But after deciding to give the sport a try, she flourished. Today she is vice-captain of the first team and has twice represented Yorkshire at Twickenham, earning Player of the Match honours on both occasions.
The club has helped many players reach the highest levels of the game.
After a few seasons with Barnsley, Francesca Copley now plays in the Women’s Super League for Featherstone Rovers Women and has earned seven international caps with Ireland. A three-times Irish dancing world champion in her youth, Francesca pivoted to rugby after watching her brother play in the men’s first team at Shaw Lane.
Welsh native Jess Taylor Roberts progressed through the Barnsley squad before moving to Sale and representing Wales on the international stage.
She recently returned to Barnsley and has co-captained Yorkshire with newcomer Jasmin Brankin, a former rower, while Jess’ partner Alix is assistant coach after semi-retiring from playing.
Last season was the third consecutive year that Barnsley players have been selected for the county squad in the prestigious Gill Burns Championship.
For many players, however, the greatest attraction is not representative honours or league positions. It is the sense of belonging. Players support one another on and off the field, creating friendships that often last far longer than a rugby career.
As Simmy puts it, “We are not just a team – we are a family.”
That family includes women from every walk of life – teachers, police officers, senior leaders, business owners and mothers. Students train alongside professionals. Experienced players share drills with newcomers. Some have played rugby for years; others have only recently discovered the sport.
As well as the women’s first team, the club now has junior girls’ teams for under 18s, 15s and 13s, inspiring a new generation of girls to pick up a rugby ball for the first time.
But as any rugby player knows, the game never stops at one try line. There is always another phase to play and another challenge ahead.
For this coming season, it will mean long journeys across the country to the likes of Newcastle, Cheltenham, Buckinghamshire and Bury St Edmunds – the north jurisdiction isn’t as northern as it sounds! That comes with rising costs for a self-funded club.
Yet Barnsley Ladies continue to grow, driven by volunteers, sponsors, families and supporters who believe in what the club represents. The players and their families muck in with washing the kit, cleaning the changing rooms, making after-match refreshments and running the raffle.
As the 2026-27 season gets underway, spectators are always welcome to watch their home games, with free admission at Shaw Lane Sports Club.
For anyone interested in joining the team, training is on Monday and Thursday nights 7pm until 8:30pm at Barnsley Rugby Club, Shaw Lane, Barnsley S70 6HZ. Fixtures are played on weekends.
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