Janette: Workington Town Ladies’ | International Women’s Day

Workington Town RL Ladies’ remarkable season was one of both triumph and heartbreak for new manager Janette Fearon.

In their first competitive season the team won the League Two title in September and then the Grand Final to secure promotion, just two years after they were created.

They also won the Plate Cup against teams from League One, meaning three pieces of silverware are heading to the Fibrus Community Stadium.

But they also had to cope with tragedy when team manager Sue Grimley passed away last autumn.

Janette began the season as a player, still taking to the field well into her forties, and ended it taking over the role from Sue.

“Sue was a really good friend of mine,” she said. “I went right through her treatment with her, and when she passed, it was just absolutely devastating. Everything we’ve done was for Sue. The girls knew for the last two months that Sue was ill, and I think that drove us on as well to achieve what we did.

“She couldn’t come to the games anymore towards the end of her illness, so we used to get her on speakerphone, and she still used to tell them all what to do.

“She asked me to help her out maybe two months before the end of the season, when she was ill. So my retirement worked well, because she knew I was retiring, and she said I had to play one more match. So I played a match, and then I helped her out towards the end, and then became manager.”

Beyond Sue’s influence, Workington Town Ladies’ success was built on teamwork and commitment, something to be highlighted as International Women’s Day on March 8 approaches.

“We gelled on and off the field. It felt like a big family,” Janette added. “Our range of ages and abilities made us stronger. I was playing at 47 alongside 17-year-olds.

“We started with just seven players, and it was a development stage,” she said. “Many of the girls had never played competitively before, but as more people joined and the team bonded, our confidence grew.”

Janette’s own involvement in rugby league began through her family. “I’ve got two children and I’ve been involved with their rugby club since my eldest, who’s nearly 17 now, played in the under-sixes. And my kids kept saying to me, ‘Why don’t you just go and play, Mam?’ When somebody mentioned Workington Town starting up, I thought I might as well.”

Growing up, Workington-born Janette, who works with children with behavioural difficulties, never had the opportunity to play rugby.

Her sporting idols were in athletics and swimming – Fatima Whitbread, Denise Lewis, and Sharon Davies. Now she finds herself working with England Women’s RL players like Amy Hardcastle and Jodie Cunningham when they have visited Workington Town.

In the last few years, the sport has gained popularity for women, and Janette believes the rise in women’s football has helped shift perspectives, making women’s participation in rugby league more accepted.

She said: “It’s becoming more normal for girls to do whereas, when I was a lot younger, all we used to do was netball and hockey. Now both sexes can play rugby, and it’s absolutely brilliant.”

International Women’s Day this weekend will only serve to shine a brighter spotlight on women’s sport.

“Sport in general over the years has been male dominated,” said Janette, “but now women are coming through in all the professional sports and recognised more, so it’s really great that we are having days like this where we can show what’s going on.

“It’s not just rugby, it’s football, everything. Women are getting recognised more in sport. You’ve got more women commentators on men’s sports. It’s coming up to par now.”

And the success of Workington Town Ladies, who are sponsored by Fibrus Broadband, is attracting more women to rugby league and acting as motivation for girls locally.

Janette said: “Over the past 18 months to two years where rugby has become more popular, a lot of the younger lasses just want to come and play.

“You can motivate them when they’re here but they are already really motivated to want to play. They are seizing the chance.

“I think we’ve taken on about 10 new signings this season, and we’ve got more coming up just because they’re hearing how well we are doing and there’s not a lot of opportunities in our area for girls to come and play semi-professional as we are.”

“We’re looking to extend the girls’ rugby with different age groups,” she added, “getting more girls on board, so we can create a pathway so they can come into our first team. It should only grow and get bigger.

“The investment and belief from Fibrus in this team has been instrumental in helping it go from strength to strength.”

Linda Mcmillan, Chief People Officer of Fibrus, said: “The success of Workington Town Ladies has been nothing short of extraordinary and Janette has been a key part of that, inspiring her teammates on and off the pitch.

“We’re delighted that our backing has gone some way to helping the team to their success and also widening the appeal of women’s rugby in West Cumbria and further afield.”

Workington Town Ladies RLFC train on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can be contacted through their Facebook and Instagram pages.