Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Breaking barriers in rugby league with Julia Lee MBE
Leeds Beckett alumna Julia Lee has spent decades shaping rugby league. From becoming one of the first women to referee men’s matches to helping secure significant investment in the sport, her career has been defined by determination and a deep love of the game. Reflecting on her journey, Julia shares how her time studying Sport Development at Leeds Beckett helped shape her thinking about sport and society, and why she is only now beginning to recognise the scale of her achievements.
Julia Lee’s pioneering career in rugby league was well established before she arrived at Leeds Beckett University.
Growing up with a passion for the sport, Julia was determined to stay involved in rugby league even when opportunities for girls were limited. At school, playing rugby league was not an option for girls at the time, but that did not stop Julia from finding ways to remain part of the game.
“I knew internally as a child that they couldn’t stop me doing anything. If I wanted to do something, I could do it. As young as 11 or 12, I found a whistle and cards and began to referee the boys on the playground, because I wanted to be involved.”
This early involvement and determination would shape the direction of her career, although at the time she couldn't have predicted the influence she would go on to have within the game.
Her ‘why not?’ attitude – and encouragement from teachers - led her to apply for a job as a referee at aged 17. Julia’s skill, knowledge and passion for the game made sure she got it.
The experience brought both opportunities and challenges. Rugby league at the time was deeply rooted in traditional working-class communities, and many of the structures around the game had been built with only male officials in mind.
Julia recalls that practical barriers often had to be addressed simply for her to do the job. Meetings were often held in working men’s clubs, and facilities such as changing rooms had never been designed with female referees in mind. These were issues she had not initially anticipated, and many adjustments had to be made as her role within the sport evolved.
While continuing to build her involvement in rugby league, and after being the first female to referee an open age men’s rugby league match, Julia chose to study Sport Science at Leeds Beckett University.
Julia reflects fondly on her time at Leeds Beckett, with women in the university providing inspiration to her as a female student. “I studied in the days of Anne Flintoff and Margaret Talbot. I helped out with Great Britain women, who couldn’t find anywhere to train, and Margaret used to just say, bring them here!”
"It was formative times for me and the support you got. The women that were there were making sure that you as a young woman could understand more about opportunities and equality.
“It gave me a sort of an educational background into why it was important and how important it is to have female role models and be able to be seen so that others will follow in your first steps.”
Looking back, Julia believes her path might have unfolded differently if she had taken a more traditional route into sport.
“If I'd done the degree before I took up refereeing, I might not have taken up refereeing because of the way I would have been treated,” she said.
Luckily for the sport, Julia did continue her career in rugby league, expanding beyond refereeing into leadership and development roles, including at the Rugby Football League. Through these positions, Julia has helped to shape programmes which strengthen the sport and increase participation.
“University is a great place to do that because you're away from home, your peers are having a go at things and you can be your authentic self. Universities were a great way of getting the rugby league world spread throughout the country when we're an M62 corridor, but it was a way of getting it played in places like Coventry and Nottingham and London and, you know, where women didn't do it.”
Julia’s work has also played a role in securing significant investment into rugby league, helping to support its long-term growth and development. Julia said: “Bringing in the £29 million to really change the face of the sport and bring genuine equality, bring in HR systems, good governance, all those sort of things is what the money did and they really put us on the map.”
Despite these achievements, Julia admits she rarely stopped to reflect on the impact of her work.
“I’ve just got on with it,” she said.
Only in recent years has she begun to look back on the barriers she overcame and the influence her career has had not only on the sport, but for women looking for a career in rugby league. Her recent award of a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), in recognition of her contribution to rugby league and sport development, has provided a catalyst for this reflection. The honour celebrates decades of dedication to the sport and the progress she helped make possible.
Her story is now reaching even wider audiences. A playwright based in Papua New Guinea, where rugby league holds huge cultural significance, has begun writing a stage play inspired by Julia’s life and career. For Julia, the idea that her journey could inspire a production on the other side of the world is both surprising and deeply meaningful.
It's another reminder of the far-reaching impact her career has had, not only within rugby league but across the global sporting community.
Today, Julia hopes that sharing her story will encourage others, particularly women, to pursue opportunities even when they may not see obvious pathways. Her career demonstrates what can happen when passion for a sport meets determination and a willingness to step into new spaces.
For Julia, the journey began simply with a love of rugby league and a determination to stay involved. Everything that followed grew from that starting point.
