Boundary Park set to be the scene of refereeing history

Boundary Park will host a moment of history on Sunday when Tara Jones becomes the first woman to referee a senior professional rugby league game in the northern hemisphere.

The 27-year-old plays for St Helens and England alongside her role as a match official, and will take charge of Oldham versus Cornwall in Betfred League 1.

It will be the second big milestone for Jones, who scored the first ever try in a women’s Challenge Cup Final at Wembley last August.

Phil Bentham, the RFL’s Head of Match Officials, said: “Tara has earned this opportunity after years of steady development as a match official through the community game and as a regular touch judge and in-goal judge for professional matches

“She has received high-profile appointments in a number of competitions, including this season’s Betfred Challenge Cup, and has impressed everyone with the way she has performed - earning the respect of players, coaches and her fellow match officials."

The Roughyeds are top of the table thanks to three wins out of three and are urging fans to be part of an exciting new era at Boundary Park, as the club bids for promotion to the Championship this season.

Meanwhile, Roughyeds chairman Bill Quinn has promised to give the club’s fans "a voice", with an exclusive invitation to attend an early-season Fans Forum event tonight (Thursday) at Saddleworth Rangers.

The Roughyeds will open the doors to supporters following an open training session with Saddleworth Rangers.

Quinn says no subject will be off limits, and has urged supporters to make the evening special.

“The club for so many years was felt to be closed off to the fans and that the fans didn’t have a voice,” Quinn told Roughyeds TV.

“We are totally in a different sphere now, so come down and ask any questions and the one thing that is for sure is that you will get an answer.

“You can come and watch our guys training and then we want as many fans and as many questions as possible.”

Quinn has hailed the positive start to the campaign under head coach Sean Long, with crowds growing sharply at Boundary Park too.

The Easter Sunday derby win over Rochdale saw a crowd of our 2000 for a home league game for the first time in 16 years.

“It’s been a very encouraging start, the Rochdale crowd was our best for many many years and we are just hoping to build on that,” Quinn added.

“We are hoping to keep engaging with everyone and for the club to grow a stronger and stronger fan base.

“Everyone wants to see a winning team and you can start to see things are gelling on the pitch. The matchday experience at Boundary Park is looking to offer something for every age group that is not just turning up to watch a game of rugby.”

Oldham will play a training game with Saddleworth at Shaw Hall Bank Road at 6:30pm tonight, with the fans forum starting at 8:30pm in the clubhouse.

Entry is free.

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