ST HELENS prop Chantelle Crowl has become the first female player in this country to write an autobiography. The book charts not just a stellar playing career but also a remarkable life story. There’s Only One Channy Crowl has been published by Richard de la Riviere, a former editor of this magazine, who tells us what to expect and where they can buy a copy.
I FIRST interviewed Channy Crowl for League Express in 2021, shortly after St Helens had won the Grand Final – a game in which she had been named player of the match. I was taken aback by her openness, her bubbliness and her willingness to discuss any subject.
When the interview appeared in the paper, I must have read it about half-a-dozen times because I was so pleased with it. I also knew there was so much more to her story. I approached her again to see if she’d compile a diary of 2022, a year in which she would aim to help Saints try and defend all three trophies they’d won the previous as well as, hopefully play for England in a successful World Cup.
The latter didn’t happen as she was dropped from the squad, but by then, the material she’d come up with had blown me away, and the idea had by then evolved from a simple 12-month diary into an autobiography.
The book starts in Toronto where she was born and lived for seven years before her mum moved back to Widnes – taking her daughter with her of course! But the town, famous for its rugby league team and its chemical industry, proved not to be a welcoming place for a mixed-race child. The racism and bullying she was subjected to as a child make for very tough reading.
Crowl knew she was gay at a young age, but instead of being able to come out in her own time, she was actually outed by a teacher when she was 13. At the same age, she was diagnosed with ADHD, expelled from school and arrested for a crime she didn’t commit. She goes into great depth on all of these subjects – and many others. Have you ever wondered, for example, how menstruation can affect sporting performance? And how much of a problem can body image be in a televised sport where you have to wear unflattering kit? And what about mental health? Crowl leaves no stone unturned on any subject.
It was in Widnes that she discovered the sport of rugby league, along with her best friend, Alex, daughter of the great New Zealand, Leeds and Widnes player Esene Faimalo. He, along with Kelsey Gentles, have kindly provided the forewords to the book. Crowl progressed through Moorfield Angels, Halton Hornets and Thatto Heath before signing for St Helens in 2018 when they joined the Women’s Super League.
The England tours of Australia and Papua New Guinea in 2019 are fascinating chapters, particularly in dealing with some of the cultural differences in PNG. She fell in love with Goroka and Port Moresby, but a conversation with a female hotel employee who told the players that the later she went home, the less chance she had of being raped is a brutal read.
Elsewhere, Crowl takes us through the 2017 World Cup, in which she starred for England, the formation of the WSL, numerous successes with St Helens, including a full account of all three Wembley appearances, and her decision to play for Canada in 2023. Crowl also talks us through each of her 2025 Saints teammates, while many of the people she has crossed paths with in life pay their tribute to her.
She also discusses the Women of Steel documentary that was aired by the BBC on the eve of the 2022 World Cup which dealt with her exclusion from the squad.
There’s Only One Channy Crowl! is the second autobiography of a women’s rugby league player after Honey Hireme, the former New Zealand dual-coder. The book, which is likely to make you laugh and cry equally, is now on sale, and would make the perfect Christmas present for any rugby league fan. The book was launched with great success at Thatto Heath in late September with more pre-Christmas signing sessions to come, including at the Saints club store, when Crowl returns from international duty with Canada.
There’s Only One Channy Crowl! is on sale for £20 at the St Helens club store and their online shop, the St Helens Book Stop, Philip Howard Books in Leeds and via the publisher Richard de la Riviere at womensrl.com. You can also buy a copy directly from Crowl on eBay if you would like a signed copy with a dedication.
COMPETITION TIME!
We have three copies of There’s Only One Channy Crowl! to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question:
In what year did Channy Crowl first win the player of the match award in the Women’s Super League Grand Final?
(a) 2019
(b) 2021
(c) 2025
Send your answer with your name and postal address by email to competition@totalrl.com by 14th November 2025. We do not retain or pass on your personal details. Our privacy policy can be viewed here.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 514 (November 2025)
