The 2024 Women's Challenge Cup (sponsored as the 2024 Betfred Women's Challenge Cup) was the 12th staging of the Rugby Football League's cup competition for women's rugby league clubs. The final took place on 8 June 2024 as part of a triple-header at Wembley Stadium alongside the men's final, and the final of the 1895 Cup.[1]
Format
The competition used the same format as in 2023 with four groups of four competing in a single round robin with group winners and runners-up advancing to the knockout rounds. The teams were announced on 22 December 2023 and the group stage draw took place on 10 January.
St Helens, winners in 2023, were in the top seed pool alongside Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, and York Valkyrie. The four remaining Super League teams were in pool two. The other pools consisted of teams from the regional leagues with pool three containing sides who took part in the 2023 Super League. Hull KR and 2023 Super League South grand finalists Cardiff Demons and London Broncos were in pool four with Sheffield Eagles who were making their debut in the competition.[1][2]
The draw for the group stages and the quarter finals was made on 10 January.[3][4] Each of the four top-seeded teams had only one home game in the group stage.[5]
When the group stage fixtures were announced on 24 January, it was also announced that Castleford Tigers had withdrawn from the competition and group 1 would, therefore, comprise only three clubs.[6]
Group stage
Games were scheduled to take place in March and April.[1]
The draw for the quarter-finals was made live on BBC Radio Merseyside, on 10 January following the draw for the group stage.[3][15]
Ties were played over the weekend of 13/14 April.
The draw for the semi-finals was made during the half time break at the men's quarter-final between St Helens and Warrington. The matches were played on 18 and 19 May, as part of double headers alongside the men's semi finals.
^For the Hull KR v Leeds match, BBC Sport and Hull KR gave the score as 0–90,[10][11] as does the RFL "match centre", but the RFL review article gave the score as 0–92, noting this to equal the club record for Leeds (set in the 2022 Women's Challenge Cup).[9] The description on the Leeds match report also initially stated the score to be 0–92 but was later amended to 0–90. The description credits all 13 goals to Enright – setting an individual club record total of 38 points (3 tries and 13 goals), but the score list of has only 12 goals by Enright and one by Whitehead.[12]
^ ab attendance combined for both the men's, and women's game
