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there’s a will’, Woman’s Hour, tingly moment when Roy French playing as one of their six repre-
sentatives in the first-ever Lan-
commentates: “And that’s a bee-
phone-ins, articles in The Times
Sophie Cox and The Daily Telegraph - broad- oootiful long pass from Sophie cashire versus Yorkshire U-13
game. During her secondary
sheets that rarely gave rugby
Cox”, as she sets up Rochdale’s
league a mention. Supportive ar-
winning try.
school years at Crossley Heath
ticles full of enthusiasm and praise School in Halifax, she continued
for Sophie’s dream to play at However, the honorary treasurer to play rugby league, and with
Wembley also followed in the rug- of ERSL, Jim Forshaw, echoed the her two younger sisters, Rosalind
by league press; League Express sentiments of the diehards and and Charlotte, played for Halifax
and David Hadfield (regarded as doubters, he said: “On a personal Ladies. On one memorable occa-
25 years since ‘rugby league’s most respected level I have grave reservations sion, they beat London Broncos at
writer’) were particularly at the
about girls playing rugby league
Stanley Park, Blackpool in the final
Sophie changed forefront of the campaign. football because of the high de- of the national nines.
the view of rugby Eventually, the ESRL gave permis- gree of physical involvement.” At one stage of the game all three
league forever sion for Sophie to play at Wembley Natural justice, equal opportuni- sisters were on the pitch together
and duly made good their promise ties and common sense prevailed, - making up a third of the team.
The 1 May 2018 marked the 25th Sophie could not be part of the and numerous other women’s to review their constitution at as the-then Honorary Secretary
anniversary of when a young Rochdale team because rule one organisations. All wanted Sophie their AGM in June, changing the of ERSL, Ray Unsworth, said: “In Sophie continued to play rugby
girl from Rochdale, Sophie Cox, of their constitution, drawn up 25 to play at Wembley for Rochdale, word ‘schoolboys’ to ‘schoolchil- view of the evidence about So- until the age of 19, when her main
changed the face of rugby league years before, stated that games as did the professional body of the dren.’ phie, we decided it was a special sport of judo took first place, lead-
as she became the first girl to play were to be organised for boys.” RFL”. case and cleared the way for her ing to two Olympic appearances
the sport at Wembley. Thus, girls in future years would to play at Wembley. We will now and reigning as UK champion at
In his report for the North West Such was the controversy around not have to face the same ob- look carefully at the constitution, her weight for seven years.
Until 1993, the annual curtain Counties Schools Rugby 1993-94 a girl playing at Wembley, then- stacles that Sophie had battled which makes no mention of girls,
raiser to the RFL Challenge Cup the-then secretary, Antony Twist, secretary of the ESRL Tony Tucker successfully to overcome. They simply because there were no 25 years on, Sophie, now 36, hap-
Final at Wembley, then the thrill- recalled: “We had faced criticism quoted the decision to let Sophie, would, as Blue Peter’s Diane Lou- girls playing when it was written, pily married and is living in
ing climax to the season, had of the last development side from who had three sporty sisters, play ise Jordan put it, ‘be able to tread but Sophie is the first girl to come Rochdale, with her three-year-old
always been known as the ‘school- our region to play in the curtain as a major reason for his resigna- in her bootsteps.’ through to a representative side, son, Leo .
boy’s’ game’. raiser and so this time we made tion. and that has concentrated our
great efforts to ensure we secured The seven-minute Blue Peter minds.” Sophie’s career is now focused on
However, on 1 May of that year, the best possible team. After a Unsurprisingly, a whirlwind of me- coverage of Sophie and her team being a sporting mentor, teaching
that view was flipped with the secret ballot, it was the decision dia swirled around Sophie and her playing at Wembley provides an Sophie’s appearance at Wembley and coaching judo and jiu jitsu,
headline, ‘Rugby ace Sophie is of the executive that Rochdale be family, beginning with a feature exciting, entertaining and enjoy- was by no means the peak of her and delivering seminars about her
Wembley’s First Lady’, heralding nominated. entitled ‘Sophie’s choice is denied’ able tale of Sophie’s journey to rugby playing career. She played sporting journey in all its aspects.
a momentous change in the way in The Independent the day before Wembley; even 25 years on, it’s a for Rochdale Ravens, including
that people viewed rugby league, “There would be no criticism this her 11th birthday.
and the way it should be played. time, we had done everything
by the book, we had taken more The media focus was positive and
The Daily Express report read: care than ever, we covered all the thought-provoking, presenting the
“Sophie Cox will today step into angles – or so we thought. case not only for equal opportuni-
sporting history when she be- ties for girls in rugby league but
comes the first girl to play rugby “What followed had far reaching also raising the wider issues of Sophie stepped into
league at Wembley. effects on the whole of school- the image and place of girls and sporting history in
boy rugby league. What became women in contact sport: the next
“Originally selected to play for known as ‘The Sophie Cox Affair’ day - Sophie’s eleventh birthday - a 1993 when she
Rochdale Schools U-11 and then brought Schools Rugby League television crew from BBC North became the first girl
for North West Counties Schools, into the national press, onto the West was at Sophie’s house in Lit-
Sophie’s dream of treading on television and radio, the ESRL tleborough and a feature broad- to play rugby league
the hallowed turf was shattered secretary had letters from MPs, cast that evening. at Wembley
a week before her 11th birthday, Parliamentary Committees, Doc-
23 December 1992. The English tors, the DFE, the Sports Council, Further detailed features followed
Schools Rugby League ruled that the Women’s Sports Foundation on ITV (Look North), ‘Where
