England international Tara Stanley is aiming to help York City Knights put rugby league on the map in the city by winning the Betfred Women’s Super League; watch Sunday’s BWSL semi-final double-header at Headingley live on Sky Sports Arena and Mix from 2.30pm

Tara Stanley and York are aiming to reach the Women’s Super League Grand Final for the first time

There was a time when Tara Stanley was happy just to get a run-out for any team she could play for. Now the England international’s sole focus is to help York City Knights become the leading light in the Betfred Women’s Super League.

For the second year in a row, the City Knights are into the semi-finals and aiming to reach the Grand Final for the first time, but this year go into them having finished top of the table and claimed the League Leaders’ Shield for the first time in their history.

It is another sign of how York have come to establish themselves alongside some of the biggest names in rugby league in the BWSL, and for full-back Stanley it shows how much the women’s game has grown since she was first running around with a ball in hand in her home town of Widnes.

“I remember when I first started playing, I’d go to a tournament on a Saturday and there were a bunch of girls and sometimes we’d have to play on different teams,” Stanley told Sky Sports.

“I remember once there was a structure where I played with one other girl and two of us managed to win the league. It was absolutely crazy, we were just playing for whatever team we could because we loved rugby league.

“Now, when I’m on social media and I’m looking at how many clubs have got girls participating it’s absolutely fantastic. We just want to keep the ball rolling and I think it’s just about us players that the game carries on when we retire.

“It’s about creating that foundation to make sure more people enjoy it and creating that entertainment factor. I’ve never heard of anyone come to a women’s rugby league game and not enjoy it, and normally they’re absolutely flabbergasted by what they’re watching, and we just want to keep that going.”

Stanley is one of a number of former Castleford Tigers players who have followed their old head coach Lindsay Anfield to York, having made the switch over the winter and linked up with old team-mates Rhiannon Marshall, Kelsey Gentles, Tamzin Renouf, Grace Field, Sinead Peach and Georgia Roche.

The 2018 Woman of Steel nominee has settled well into life at the LNER Community Stadium and has been impressed with how well the team has gelled together, with an appearance in this year’s Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup semi-finals followed by success in the inaugural Women’s Nines tournament.

That in turn has led to them finishing top of Group 1 at the end of the Women’s Super League regular season, securing top spot with a 22-14 victory over last year’s beaten Grand Finalists Leeds Rhinos last Sunday and now sitting 80 minutes away from a maiden appearance in the showpiece game.

“We’re absolutely made up,” Stanley said. “When we grouped together at the start of the season, the main goal from Lindsay was to gel as a team because there were quite a few new faces on the back of the new faces the previous year when they had the revamp.

York triumphed in the inaugural Women’s Nines earlier this year

“It was just about gelling as a team and creating an environment where each player could get better and become a better rugby player.

“Another priority of ours was just to enjoy it. Anything you do in life, if you don’t enjoy it you don’t give it 100 per cent.

“Lindsay and the other coaches’ priority was to create an environment where we enjoy our rugby and on the back of that we secured the League Leaders’ Shield, which is obviously fabulous.”

York must overcome fourth-placed Wigan Warriors in the first of Sunday’s semi-finals, both of which are live on Sky Sports, if they are to set up a decider against either Leeds or reigning champions St Helens at Totally Wicked Stadium on Sunday, September 18.

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Highlights of this year’s international match between England Women and France Women

Grand Final glory would be the perfect way for Stanley and her team-mates to prepare for this year’s Rugby League World Cup too, with all of the games in Group B and both semi-finals being played in York at the LNER Community Stadium.

And while she knows success for the England team in the tournament could do for rugby league what their footballing counterparts did for their game in this summer’s European Championships, Stanley is just as eager for her club to play their part in growing the sport as well.

“When you compare York to cities like Leeds, rugby and sport in general isn’t as high profile as other places,” Stanley said.

“We wanted to put women’s rugby on the map in York and for any people who enjoy sport but weren’t familiar with women’s rugby league or rugby league in general, just to go out there and entertain people.

“We’ve had great support from the club, the chairman has been absolutely fabulous and has big goals for the club and the women in particular. We’re just creating the foundations for the sport and for York City Knights to push on.

“It’s about creating a game women and girls want to play – and we definitely are.”

How to watch

Both of this year’s Women’s Super League semi-finals are once again live on Sky Sports Arena and Mix from 2.30pm, with York kicking things off at Headingley when they face Wigan at 3pm.

That is followed by a repeat of last year’s Grand Final and this year’s Challenge Cup final when Leeds take on reigning champions St Helens (5.30pm).

The winners will contest this year’s Women’s Super League Grand Final at Totally Wicked Stadium on Sunday, September 18 and that match will be shown live on Sky Sports as well.