Australian Kasey Badger became the first woman to take charge of a men’s Rugby League World Cup match, paving the way for future generations.
Badger was in charge as Tonga defeated Wales 32-6 in front of a whopping 7,752 crowd in St Helens.
Speaking before the match, Badger, who was referee for the NRLW Grand Final between Parramatta Eels and Newcastle Knights, said: “Any time something like this comes along, you carry with it the sense of taking the game forward. In this case, the sense of officiating for females.
“Hopefully this will boost the interest of people joining the refereeing ranks, specifically women. This shows there are genuine opportunities for women to progress to the world stage.
Speaking to the BBC before her history-making appearance, Kasey said she hopes in years to come there will be a female who approaches me and says: “I took up refereeing because I saw you referee that game, or I read an article, or I saw something on TV about you refereeing that Test match.”
“There’s a young girl who might start refereeing or get involved in rugby league in some capacity; whether that be as a fan, player or as a coach, whatever it might be – they might get involved because they see what I’m about to do.”
Badger is one of two women named among the officials for the competition, alongside her compatriot Belinda Sharpe.
International Rugby League boss Troy Grant said: “On behalf of the IRL board, I congratulate Kasey Badger on her historic and well deserved appointment to the Wales-Tonga Test match.
“Kasey is helping to create history and a lasting legacy for not only women in league, but rugby league as a whole.”
Photo 1 Caption: Australian Kasey Badger became the first woman to take charge of a men’s Rugby League World Cup match, paving the way for future generations. Photo: International Rugby League (Facebook)
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