Jodie Cunningham

Last updated

Jodie Cunningham
Jodie Cunningham 2022.jpg
Personal information
Born (1991-12-05) 5 December 1991 (age 32)
Warrington, Cheshire, England
Playing information
Position Fullback, Loose forward
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
2018– St Helens 533000120
Representative
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
2009 England 32100040
Source: [1] [2]
As of 11 March 2024

Jodie Cunningham (born 5 December 1991) is an English rugby league footballer who plays as a fullback or loose forward at international level for England and domestically for St Helens in the Women's Super League.

Cunningham started paying rugby while a pupil at Cardinal Newman Catholic High School, Warrington and was selected to play for England while still in the sixth-form and playing for Warrington Ladies RC. [3] [4] In 2011, Cunningham was in the Warrington team that won the Championship Final of the Women's Rugby League Conference. [5]

While a student at Leeds University, [6] Cunningham played in the 2013 Women's Rugby League World Cup and joined Thatto Heath Crusaders and was a member of the team that won the Challenge Cup in four successive seasons from 2013 to 2016. [7] [8]

Cunningham was vice-captain of the England team in the 2017 Women's Rugby League World Cup and in March 2018 Cunningham became a member of the newly-formed St Helens women's team, though she missed most of the 2018 season due to rehabilitation after surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered during the 2017 season. [9] [10]

For the 2019 season, Cunningham was appointed co-captain of the St Helens side alongside Tara Jones [7] With the 2020 season cancelled, 2021 saw Cunningham appointed captain of the team and she led the side to the first treble since the creation of the Women's Super League. [11] Cunningham was also named 2021 Woman of Steel. [12]

Cunningham worked as community engagement lead for the organisers of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup as well as being an ambassador for the women's tournament. [13]

Cunningham was appointed as the RFL's National Women’s and Girls’ Development Manager in November 2021. [14] In January 2024 she left that post to take up a new post with St Helens as head of women’s pathways and performance. [15]

2022 saw St Helens retain the Challenge Cup with Cunningham scoring a try in the final against Leeds Rhinos. [16] In the Super League Cunningham captained St Helens to second place in the league but the team were unable to repeat their 2021 successes losing in the play-off semi-final to eventual Grand Final winners Leeds. [17]

In April 2023, Cunningham was named as captain of the England team, succeeding St Helens teammate Emily Rudge. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds Rhinos</span> English professional rugby league football club

The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home games at AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium and compete in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Sinfield</span> English rugby player and coach (born 1980)

Kevin Sinfield is an English rugby union coach, currently the skills and kicking coach for the England national team. He is a former professional rugby league player for Leeds Rhinos, England and Great Britain. His usual position was loose forward, although he played stand-off and hooker on occasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian McDermott (rugby league)</span> English rugby league footballer, and singer

Brian G. McDermott is an English professional rugby league coach, currently assistant coach at Newcastle Knights in the NRL. A former professional rugby league player, he won three Super League Grand Finals as a Bradford Bulls player and has won four Grand Finals as head coach of Leeds Rhinos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Burrow</span> English rugby league footballer (1982–2024)

Robert Geoffrey Burrow was an English professional rugby league footballer who played as a scrum-half or hooker. Burrow spent his entire professional career with the Leeds Rhinos, making nearly 500 appearances as well as representing Great Britain, England, and Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Jones-Bishop</span> Jamaica international rugby league footballer

Ben Jones-Bishop is a Jamaica international rugby league footballer who plays as a winger or fullback for the Sheffield Eagles in the RFL Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie Myler</span> England and Ireland international rugby league footballer

Richard David Myler is a retired rugby league footballer, who is currently the director of rugby for Hull FC in the Super League. He is a member of the Ireland squad for the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup, having declared for Ireland in 2022. Previously he has represented England and the England Knights at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Challenge Cup</span> Rugby league knockout cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League

The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's oldest cup competition in either code of rugby. A concurrent Women's Challenge Cup and Wheelchair Challenge Cup have been held since 2012 and 2015 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Gale</span> England international rugby league footballer

Luke Gale is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as scrum-half or stand-off for Wakefield Trinity in the RFL Championship. Gale has played for the England Knights and England at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super League</span> British professional rugby league competition

The Super League is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of which ten are from Northern England, reflecting the sport's geographic heartland within the UK, one from London and one from southern France.

The Rugby Football League Women's Super League is the elite women's rugby league club competition in England. Originally competed between four teams in the 2017 season, the league has developed with the 2023 season being contested by 12 teams playing home and away against each other in two groups with subsequent play-offs and Grand Final. In January 2023 it was announced that the league would be reduced to eight teams in the 2024 season.

The Woman of Steel is an award in English rugby league. It is awarded to the player of the year in the Women's Super League; the winner is determined by a poll of the players in the Women's Super League.

Emily Rudge is a British rugby league player who plays for St Helens Women in the Women's Super League. She plays at second-row. Born in Warrington Rudge attended Cardinal Newman High School and first played rugby league for a local Warrington club before joining Thatto Heath Crusaders. While at Warrington she was first selected for the England women's national rugby league team in 2008, aged 16. In 2011, Rudge was in the Warrington team that won the Championship Final of the Women's Rugby League Conference in August, before joining for Featherstone Rovers for the interim season before the launch of the first summer-based season.

Super League XXVI, known as the 2021 Betfred Super League XXVI for sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of the Super League and 127th season of rugby league in Great Britain.

The 2021 RFL Women's Super League was the fifth season of the Rugby League Women's Super League for female players in clubs affiliated to the Rugby Football League (RFL).

The 2022 RFL Women's Super League was the sixth season of the Rugby League Women's Super League, for female players in clubs affiliated to the Rugby Football League (RFL).

This article details the Leeds Rhinos's rugby league football club's 2022 season. They were coached by Richard Agar until May 2022, Jamie Jones-Buchanan as an interim coach and Rohan Smith from April 2022 onwards. The Rhinos competed in both the 2022 Betfred Super League and the 2022 Challenge Cup.

Tara Jones is an English rugby league player and referee. She is the starting hooker for St Helens and the England national team. In both disciplines, her career took off in 2018, when she captained St Helens in their debut women's Super League and became the first female men's Super League match official.

Francesca Goldthorp is an England international dual-code rugby footballer who plays for North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL Women's Premiership primarily as a fullback. Previously she played for Leeds Rhinos in the RFL Women's Super League where she predominantly played at centre or wing.

The Warrington Wolves Women are the women's rugby league team of Warrington Wolves in Warrington, Cheshire, England. They compete in the RFL Women's Super League, playing their home games at Victoria Park and some games at the Halliwell Jones Stadium; the home of the men's team.

Sinead Peach is a professional rugby league footballer who plays internationally for England and for York Valkyrie at domestic level. She is currently inactive, as she is pregnant with her first child.

References

  1. ↑ "Jodie Cunningham". St.Helens R.F.C. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  2. ↑ "Player Summary: Jodie Cunningham". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  3. ↑ "School 'besties' are squad mates for England Lionesses in Women's Rugby League World Cup". Warrington Guardian. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  4. ↑ "England name young squad for women's internationals - 14th July 2009 SportFocus news". Sport Focus. 14 July 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "RLC Women's Final". RFL. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "Prominent - sport - Leeds Alumni Online - University of Leeds". Leeds alumni online. Leeds University. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Jodie Cunningham on choosing rugby over medicine". Sky Sports. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  8. ↑ Critchley, Mike (8 June 2021). "Jodie Cunningham's delight at Saints' landmark Challenge Cup win". St Helens Star. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  9. ↑ Parsons, Mike (12 October 2017). "World Cup selection 'the icing on the cake' for Cunningham". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  10. ↑ Eades, John (25 May 2021). "Heroes of Hospitality: Jodie Cunningham". The Daimani Journal. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "St Helens complete historic treble". www.rugby-league.com. RFL. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  12. ↑ "Women's Super League Grand Final preview: Treble-chasing St Helens to tackle 'relentless' Leeds Rhinos". Sky Sports. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  13. ↑ Williams, Matthew (27 August 2020). "Rugby League World Cup looks to expand game beyond its traditional heartlands". Sport Business. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  14. ↑ "Jodie Cunningham appointed RFL National Women's and Girls' Development Manager". www.rugby-league.com. RFL. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  15. ↑ Darbyshire, Drew (8 March 2024). "Jodie Cunningham outlines long and short-term vision for St Helens women after historic pay deal". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  16. ↑ "Women's Challenge Cup final: St Helens come back to beat Leeds Rhinos and retain trophy". Sky Sports. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  17. ↑ "Highlights: Saints Women suffer Semi Final defeat". St.Helens R.F.C. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  18. ↑ "Jodie Cunningham named as new England Women captain ahead of mid-season Test against France". Sky Sports. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.