Tara Jones Breaks New Ground as First Female Referee in Senior Professional Rugby League Fixture
St Helens and England star Tara Jones has made history by becoming the first woman to officiate a senior professional domestic rugby league match in the Northern Hemisphere. The 28-year-old took charge of League 1 leaders Oldham’s 46-10 victory over Cornwall at Boundary Park last Sunday.
Jones, who had already etched her name in the record books by scoring the first try in a women’s Challenge Cup final at Wembley, believes her groundbreaking refereeing debut will pave the way for more female officials to be appointed to high-profile fixtures throughout the professional game.
“I always talk about how at one time I was the only graded female match official and there wasn’t really a pathway for females in rugby league, whether that be playing or officiating,” Jones told Love Rugby League. “Now there are so many opportunities every week and there are more and more young female officials being appointed out on games, it is great to see.”
The St Helens hooker put in an impressive performance in the middle, just 24 hours after featuring for her club in their Challenge Cup triumph over Huddersfield Giants. Jones acknowledged the physical challenge of combining playing and refereeing duties, stating, “Playing and officiating are so different and I really enjoy both roles, that is something I manage myself.”
Former Super League official and now referees’ boss Phil Bentham was in attendance at Boundary Park, offering a pre-match message of encouragement to the pioneering official. Jones’ polished display in front of 1,136 spectators has further fueled her belief that the growth of women’s involvement in rugby league, both as players and officials, will only continue to gather momentum.
“The playing has taken off a lot more quickly than the officiating, but the last couple of years with the pathway that the RFL have put in place it has really taken off and they have done a really good job on that,” she added. “It is only going to go in one direction and that is getting more and more girls involved.”
Tara Jones’ historic refereeing debut represents a significant milestone in the development of the women’s game, and her achievement is set to inspire the next generation of female officials to follow in her footsteps.
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