Over 80 Australian rugby league fans recently visited Heritage Quay at the University of Huddersfield to discover more about the sport from two of its most renowned experts.

The visitors dropped in to the university’s archive facility and exhibition space during their time in the UK following the England v Australia Ashes Test series, which the Kangaroos won 3-0.

Heritage Quay is home to the official archive of rugby league and is close to Huddersfield’s George Hotel, where the sport was formed at a meeting in August 1895 when a group of northern-based rugby clubs decided to break away and create their own code of the game.

Rugby league historian Tony Collins spoke to the fans about Huddersfield’s place in the game’s history, the changes in its rules and how rugby league grew in the UK, France and in Australasia in a presentation that included footage from a Hull KR v Wigan match from over 120 years ago.

And the growth of women’s rugby league was revealed by Julia Lee, who became the first woman to referee in the men’s professional game in the 1990s.

Julia (above) has helped to co-ordinate the current exhibition The Pioneers, which traces the development of women’s rugby league through a treasure trove of archival materials donated by former players, many of whom took up the sport when the women’s version of the 13-player code struggled to be taken seriously.

Many items with an Australian flavour from Heritage Quay’s rugby league archive were also brought out of storage for the fans, including some from the 1996 tour of Australia by the Great Britain women’s team who are still the last British side to beat Australia on their own patch.

Julia said: “Huddersfield is the birthplace of rugby league but Australia has consistently taken the sport to new heights so I was absolutely delighted to be able to share some of its history with such an attentive and interested audience.

“The teams who toured Australia and New Zealand in the 1990s were genuine pioneers for the women’s game, and I could tell that our Australian friends really respected what these girls did, often without much in the way of recognition.

“The fact that Australia and Great Britain’s women’s teams met in a Test match in Las Vegas this year shows just how far things have progressed.

“Although both their men’s and women’s teams are ahead of ours, it was clear that our Australian visitors appreciate the history leading up to where this great sport is now.”

Julia Lee refereeing in 1991. Image courtesy: Andrew Varley

Tony Collins added: “Australian rugby league may be some way ahead of the game in Britain at the moment but the Aussies we met at Heritage Quay were still interested in knowing how the game developed on the other side of the world to them.

“The footage of men’s and women’s games from the 70s, 80s and 90s went down very well, and it was lovely to listen to how so many of the artefacts brought out had also jogged a lot of memories.”

The Pioneers: Women in Rugby League is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm until February 6 2026. Entry is free.