LEED-ING EXAMPLE
Teen ace Caitlin aiming to make more history
CAITLIN BEEVERS has already achieved more as a women’s role model than most females could ever dream of.
But even Beevers admits she’ll be nervous when the BetFred Women’s Super League finally wakes from its 18-month suspension today.
The Leeds Rhinos and England star, 19, said: “I don’t know if I’m excited or daunted. It was such a big part of our lives and then it went to practically nothing.”
The competition was just days away from kicking off last year when the coronavirus pandemic forced the entire 2020 season to be called off.
Beevers added: “We’re back now and this year is going to be massive.
“Hopefully we can build on the great following we had started to get and there is the World Cup later in the year. It’s a huge opportunity to inspire people.”
Beevers has already won the Challenge Cup twice with Leeds and her last club game – before Covid struck – was the Grand Final victory over Castleford back in October 2019.
The full-back, who can also play on the wing, is rated one of the best performers in the women’s game.
But it’s not just playing that marks Beevers out as a shooting star – she is also in the history books thanks to her other career as a match official.
In 2018, at the age of 17, she became the first female to officiate at Wembley when she refereed the Champion Schools Final, a curtain-raiser to the men’s Challenge Cup Final.
She said: “Sometimes I do not believe it myself because it’s such a big thing.
“It’s something I’d never have dreamt of growing up.
“On the day of the game I threw up in the toilets because I knew it was going to be massive for me, either in a good way or if it went wrong.
“But the officials for the main game watched me and said I did well so I will take that as gospel!”
Beevers – who works in a paint factory – trains two nights a week with Leeds, one night with the match officials, goes to the gym on two nights and either plays or officiates on Saturdays and Sundays.
She said: “It’s full-on but I’ve got the best of both worlds. The full-time referees help a lot and I would love to go full-time eventually.”
TODAY’S WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Bradford v St Helens
Castleford v Featherstone
Wigan v Warrington
Leeds v York