Led by Thomas Bindle, Head of Development and General Manager of the Womens Super League, and Dr Sean Scallenbury, Senior Research Fellow at Leeds Beckett University and Lead Performance Coach for England Womens Rugby League, the event saw clubs including Saints, Leigh, Wigan, Barrow, Leeds, Huddersfield, Featherstone and York take part. The PaCE Day forms part of a wider programme designed to support the continued growth and professionalisation of the womens game. Across the two days, players completed league-wide physical testing using Leeds Becketts strength and conditioning suite, pitches and specialist equipment from Hawkin Dynamics, alongside education sessions covering topics such as nutrition, anti-doping, brain health and concussion. Coaches and staff also took part in continuing professional development sessions, using shared data and discussion to support long-term improvement across the league. The PaCE Day brings the entire Womens Super League together in one place, which allows standardised testing to be carried out across an entire league. Dr Sean Scallenbury explained: It allows us to profile them from an anthropometric and a physical perspective which allows us to capture data on an entire league in terms of their strength, their power, their speed and their aerobic capacity. For us, its about understanding the physical demands of the game and supporting players and coaches with evidence-informed practice. For the Womens Super League, the partnership with Leeds Beckett is central to its development strategy. Thomas Bindle said: Weve been on a journey with the Womens Super League for a number of years, trying to elevate and improve the product. Having everyone together for league-wide testing helps us understand where players are, how they compare across teams, and what we need to do to support them to get fitter, faster and stronger. That ultimately builds a better game, and a better future for womens rugby league. We dont think we can do this without the likes of Leeds Beckett, theyre fantastic partners for us. The event also highlights the role Leeds Beckett plays in supporting womens sport at all levels, from elite performance to education and research. The university is home to England Womens Rugby League, with players regularly returning to campus for training camps ahead of a major international year. Among those attending were Leeds Beckett students and alumna currently competing in the league, as well as Leeds Beckett Sport Hall of Fame alumna and Head Coach of Leeds Rhinos, Lois Forsell. York Valkyrie and England Womens Rugby League player Tamzin Renouf returned to campus alongside her teammates, having completed her undergraduate degree and PGCE at Leeds Beckett. She said: Its great being back at Beckett. The facilities here are so good, and we train here with England so its a familiar environment for me. Its brilliant to bring the girls here and see everyone using facilities like this together. Fellow England teammate and alumna Keara Bennett also attended the day with her Leeds Rhinos teammates. Keara said: It epitomises how far the game has come for us girls to be able to come to a place like this. Its like a home away from home. Alongside elite athletes, current Leeds Beckett students studying sport-related courses were embedded throughout the testing process, gaining hands-on experience working directly with professional players. Sam, a third year Sport and Exercise Science student from America, said: Being involved in this testing is some of the best real-world experience you can get, using this unreal gym, getting to work with professional athletes in a very intimate setting, seeing how theyve improved, its a great experience. Reece, a second year Sport and Exercise Science student, added: All the opportunities you get here, such as the PaCE day and supporting live testing are really brilliant and help with my aspirations to be a strength and conditioning coach. The PaCE Day reflects Leeds Becketts long-standing partnerships with organisations including England Rugby League and Women in Sport, and its commitment to creating learning environments where students are taught by practitioners actively working in the industry. As the Womens Super League continues its development, the collaboration highlights the value of bringing elite sport, research and education together in one setting.
Yee, an Olympic triathlon champion and ad honoris graduate of Leeds Beckett, clocked 2:06:38 - the second-fasted marathon time ever recorded by a British runner, trailing only Mo Farah. Yee prepared for Valencia by training with the elite marathon runners - Team GB Olympians Phil Sesemann and Emile Cairess - and coaches based at LBU's Leeds Talent Hub. Phil was hot on Alex's heels, setting a new personal best of 2:07:11 - his second 2:07 marathon of the year. Emile - who finished fourth in last year's Olympic marathon and was himself the second fastet Brit until Alex's run on Sunday - was on pacing duties. Leeds Beckett's Head of Athletics Andy Henderson and physio support from James Wilkinson had played key roles in group's training block leading up to Valencia. This remarkable performance underscores what the Leeds Talent Hub does best: provide Olympic-calibre athletes, global contenders and emerging talent with world-class coaching, cutting-edge sport science and high-performance preparation at our Headingley campus. Yee's result was not achieved in isolation. Two other Talent Hub runners were among the top 7 British female finishers in Valencia, Katy Wood running 2:34:23 on her debut, and Sarah Potter with a personal best of 2:34:26. Head coach Andy Henderson said: "We're really pleased Alex recognised that Leeds Beckett is the place to come for a marathon training block. Our Talent Hub is home to many of the best marathon runners - add an athlete of Alex's calibre and the results in Valencia show how much it helps everyone."