Barrow Raiders Ladies’ Super League game against Featherstone Rovers is to be played at this year’s Betfred Championship Summer Bash on Sunday July 31.
Headingley Stadium, home of the Leeds Rhinos, is staging the weekend event and Barrow will kick-off Day Two.
The game will become just the second ladies’ fixture to take place at the Summer Bash since its inception in 2015, with Featherstone Rovers also having faced Bradford Bulls in 2018.
Barrow Ladies’ clash with Featherstone kicks off at 11.30am and will be followed by the men’s first team, who face Widnes Vikings at 1.45pm.
The Summer Bash, which returns for the first time in three years due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, will take place at Headingley for the first time.
It has traditionally been held at Bloomfield Road in Blackpool, where the Raiders won the League 1 Cup to kickstart the event back in 2017.
Barrow Raiders Ladies head coach Amanda Wilkinson said: “I’m really looking forward to returning to Headingley, a club I was part of in my early coaching years.
“And what a great opportunity for the ladies to be part of the Summer Bash. It will be a good experience for them.
“The women’s game just keeps growing and growing. The competition is becoming so much more competitive and the quality is improving week after week. It’s great for the women’s game and most certainly for Barrow to be part of these big events in rugby league.”
Barrow Raiders chairman Steve Neale added: “We were happy to give up a home fixture to help to continue to raise the profile of the women’s game.
“It will be great for the girls that they are part of a big event day like this, and it can only help to attract even more females to the game. This continues to be an exciting time for the Raiders.”
The Barrow Raiders Ladies captain Jodie Litherland has been really encouraged by the way her side has tackled the challenge of Super League rugby and have recently completed back-to-back wins over Leigh Miners Rangers.
Despite being knocked out of the Betfred Challenge Cup earlier this year, the Raiders Ladies have bounced back by winning two of their opening three league matches; their sole defeat in that time coming against unbeaten Warrington Wolves.
Consecutive triumphs against Leigh Miners Rangers, who were promoted alongside the Raiders ahead of the 2022 Betfred Women’s Super League season, have boosted confidence ahead of Sunday’s game against Castleford Tigers.
The Tigers visit the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium having lost each of their opening two league fixtures, but Litherland insists her side must focus on their own positives if they want to continue their upward momentum.
Speaking to the club website she said: “I’ve been really impressed with how we’ve stepped up to the challenge of Super League.
“We couldn’t have asked for a tougher start with the Challenge Cup and looking back at that, it actually helped put us in good stead ahead of facing the likes of Leigh, Castleford and Bradford.
“I think the new signings have gelled into the team brilliantly, so to have people with Super League experience which has been great.
“I know we were disappointed by the Grand Final loss in the Championship last season, but some of the tough games that we had as a squad in the Championship helped us build a platform to step into Super League with that foundation of core players that have been with us throughout our journey.
“It’s a really good environment to be in at the moment. Confidence is high, and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the season brings.”
Despite their recent on-field success, it has been a difficult time away from the pitch for the club following the recent death of Ladies assistant coach Alex Broadhead.
Litherland says recent results have been testament to the camaraderie within her squad following the loss of a well-loved member of the Raiders family.
“There’s no denying that it’s been a difficult few weeks for the squad, but the one thing I always say about the squad is that we’re a very closely-knit group of players,” she said.
“The whole club and everybody involved has really pulled together. I hope that we can have that extra bit of drive, and I hope that our results will do Alex proud.
“Getting back-to-back victories over Leigh has been absolutely outstanding for the team.
“The one at home was particularly special, especially with losing Alex a few days before. The way we were able to turn that emotion and sadness into a good performance in front of our home crowd is one of those days that you’ll never forget.
“Moving forward into our next few games, we’ve got plenty of confidence. We know that if we get things right, we can put on a massive performance, and if things aren’t going right on the day, we have the fighting spirit needed to grind it out.”
Sunday’s game kicks off at 2pm at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium.
