YORK Valkyrie captain Sinead Peach admits that she has to pinch herself to believe how far the women’s game has progressed.

It’s been an outstanding season for Peach and her Valkyrie teammates, who finished the season unbeaten on their way to lifting a historic second consecutive Betfred Women’s Super League Leaders’ Shield.

Next up is Sunday's Grand Final against rivals Leeds Rhinos (3pm) - with the Valkyrie hopeful of going one better than last year's 12-4 defeat to win the trophy for the first time in front of their home fans.

2023 has seen records broken on and off the pitch for Lindsay Anfield’s side, who demolished Hull KR 122-0 in front of a home crowd in the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup and twice broke the attendance record for a standalone women’s fixture in the city.

From her roots as a water girl for her father’s team in Hunslet, the 24-year-old hooker could hardly have imagined she would one day lead the Valkyrie out in front of over 1,200 fans at the LNER Community Stadium, or the bumper crowd expected this weekend.

 “I first started out in rugby as my dad coached at a local team called Hunslet Warriors,” she explained to The Press. “He coached there, and all my little cousins, they played there.

“He was coaching Under 14s and open age there, and I was their water girl. I used to go down to all the sessions during the week and then on the weekend I ran water for all the lads - including [York Knights prop] Jack Teanby.

“Even my sister played, and she’s a model now,” she laughed. “It’s kind of what we do.”

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Finding that there was not a girls team around her hometown, Peach then took the initiative to set up her own.

“I played with the lads at Hunslet, but there wasn’t a girls team for my age.

“We had a girls team after school, and I got most of them to come and join Hunslet. I got a few girls locally as well, and my mum and dad helped to set it up.

“We found a coach, got a kit and secured some funding and started as the first girls team.

“I played there then for a couple of seasons before I went to Featherstone.”

The Valkyrie followed Leeds Rhinos in announcing that their players would be paid from this season in a huge step in the sport – and a far cry from the times Peach remembers players wondering if they would even be allowed to take to the field.

"I have to pinch myself half the time just to see where women’s rugby has come now!” she admitted. “To see the grassroots sport now, and so many young girls playing in every age group, it’s great.

“Now playing at York and in such a big stadium, I remember when we had to check the pitch to see if there was anything on it, and check everything over.

“We were trying to find players on the day before to see whether they wanted a game on a Sunday, now you’re fighting for positions, strength and depth, great coaching staff, great venues, and we’re getting paid to play. It’s unbelievable for women.

“A young girl now looking at what they want to achieve in life, if they want to go into a sporting career, the world is their oyster.

“They can choose any path, and it’s great that rugby can be one of the paths that a young girl can take. We had a conversation with the Under 14s and Under 16s and said to grab it with both hands.

“When you’re playing open age, it could quite possibly be that there’s contracts to be signed and deals to be made. You can make a career in it.

“It’s great to see where it’s going and it’s only going from strength to strength.”

York Press: Peach has led from the front, with over 40 try involvements from hooker so far this season.Peach has led from the front, with over 40 try involvements from hooker so far this season. (Image: Craig Hawkhead)

Following Katie Langan’s retirement, Peach has been thriving in her new role as York captain, believing that the flexibility of her full-time job and support from her loved ones has helped her to juggle her new responsibilities.

“It’s very hectic outside of rugby,” she revealed. “I work at a car dealership in Leeds Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm, so that I can get to training on time.

“But I’ve been promoted to the manager there, so it’s been very hectic.

“You have to try and step away from rugby whilst you’re there and not focus too much on it. But when you finish at 4.30, it’s all systems go with your extras, your training and getting to York from Leeds.

“It’s a busy schedule, but it’s one that my partner and all my family work around, and it’s good that I’ve got a supportive network for that.”

However, for all the strides taken in the sport over the last 18 months, she concedes that there are steps still to be made.

“Some workplaces can be a little bit difficult, but mine really does support me.

“They know where rugby is going and they know it’s my main priority. They know what we want to achieve and they fully back me - they let me have holidays, days off, or leave early if need be.

“That time when we did have that Friday game [at St Helens in July], they gave me a half-day so I was able to leave early on time, but I know some of the girls, they had no holidays left and couldn’t get it off.

"Some had to miss the game because they had to stay at work.

“But it’s going in the right direction, you just need to have the support of people around you. If you’ve got that, then it makes life a lot easier."