BWSL: Blackburn ready to lead Super League return

The Betfred Women’s Super League makes is back this weekend (16/17 May) as eight teams take their first step in the journey to lifting Super League silverware.

Making their return to the competition after just one season away are Featherstone Rovers, who had an impressive run in the 2025 Northern Championship. Rovers fought off the London Broncos, who had been undefeated in the regular season, in the Grand Final to finish top of the table and book their quick return to Super League.

This weekend they’ll be hosted by Leigh Leopards, who were newly promoted last season and are again looking to prove themselves by securing that top 4 finish.

Rovers' Captain, Charley Blackburn, is feeling ready to lead her team into their first game back after a long pre-season preparing for their return:

“We started pre-season all the way back in November, because we knew that in order to be successful in the Super League, we had a lot of things that we wanted to change and a lot of intensity that we needed to up” said Blackburn.

“We didn't want a year like what we had last time in the Super League. We needed that year in the Championship.

“But we made sure our standards didn’t drop in the second tier. We kept training like we were a Super League team and kept pushing like we were a Super League team so that we could get promoted again.”

Rovers have kept the majority of their squad as they head back into the Super League, a fact Blackburn credits to her teammates’ willingness to stick through the hard times and not give up at the first hurdle:

“We’ve got a really good core group of girls that are willing to stick together and work really hard for each other, and that was really important coming off the back of relegation, because we all knew we wanted to take Featherstone back to Super League.

“We all bought into that process of investing our time and our energy for the end goal of being promoted.

“We all stuck around because we want to be better and we want to put Featherstone on the Rugby League map and show that even though it's just a tiny little town, we are more than capable of competing up here.

Now, as they make their return, Blackburn is ready to pick up where they left off and show that her hometown club is deserving of a place in the top flight:

“It’s my hometown club and I take a lot of pride in my club.

“I call it my club because I feel like a part of furniture. I've been here for nearly ten years now. I started in the open age when I was 15.

“It was non-negotiable [returning to Super League]. We were finishing top of the Championship, we weren't accepting second or third – we wanted to be at the top.

“We wanted to have a year proving that we can earn this right to be in the Super League, and we're not just going to be that team that comes up and down all the time. So promotion was always our starting goal before we'd even started last season.

“It’s really important for us that we're not just here to be a team that people can score points against.

“We've been in that position before and we've changed a lot of our driving factors, and everyone is on the same page. We want to compete and we want people to underestimate us a little bit. We don’t mind being underdogs.

“Everyone should know that you can't afford to underestimate anybody because it depends on how you come out on the day and how they come out on the day.”

Betfred Women’s Super League – Round 1

Saturday 16 May

York Valkyrie v Huddersfield Giants – LNER Community Stadium, KO 12pm

Leigh Leopards v Featherstone Rovers – Leigh Miners Rangers, KO 1pm

Wigan Warriors v Leeds Rhinos – Edge Hall Road Community Stadium, KO 2pm

Sunday 17 May

Barrow Raiders v St Helens – Craven Park, KO 2:30pm

For the full fixture list please visit the Super League Match Centre here.