A FIVER!
That’s how much Julia Lee collected from another Hull KR supporter when she won a wager placed four decades ago that she’d have the courage to apply to become a Rugby League referee.
With hindsight that bet, made on the terraces of the old Craven Park with a fairly casual acquaintance (if fellow supporters can ever be described as such) was a very safe one.
What Lee could hardly have envisaged though, back in 1986, was that in May 2026 she would be made a Member of the British Empire in recognition of her monumental efforts on behalf of a wide range of Rugby League-related causes.
High on the list is her pioneering work for the women’s game, from domestic to international level.
Her input as a match official – for herself and others – cannot be ignored, while she was, and remains, a strong activist for grassroots Rugby League, including perhaps in the south of England and especially in the London area.
‘Ref!’, the play that tells of her incredible life, successfully toured the north of England several years ago, while she was the driving force behind the ‘Life with the Lionesses’ and ‘Pioneering Years’ projects, both of which brought the stories of the trailblazers to a wider audience and served to inspire the next generation through learning about female role models.
All this is not to mention her 20 years as a hands-on employee of the Rugby Football League, not least in helping deliver a £29 million Sport England award.
There was plenty of material, therefore, for Prince William to discuss at Lee’s recent investiture.
Hull-born Lee, who was accompanied at Windsor Castle by her sister Liz, brother Andrew and best friend Kerry, said: “It’s an absolute honour to be recognised for the past 40 years in a sport that is truly in my DNA.
“The whole day was amazing. Everybody was so kind and made you feel incredibly special.”
A true ground-breaker, Lee was the first female referee in men’s open age and professional games, and officiated men and women up to international level in Britain and Australia.
That experience helped inspire her to press the claims of Lisa McIntosh, Brenda Dobek and Sally Milburn for induction into the Rugby Football League Hall of Fame (the first women to be so honoured) in 2022, followed two years later by Jane Banks and Shelley Land.
As a consequence, 72 Great Britain and 43 England players received their caps and heritage numbers.
A dozen dual internationals, who played for Great Britain and England, each received two caps and, in 2024, the Great Britain Lionesses who won the inaugural 1996 Ashes series in Australia became the first team to be inducted into the RFL Hall of Fame.
Lee reflected: “Can you imagine that young girl standing on the terraces at Hull KR one day finding her voice as a match official, and later working in the administration of the sport?
“I was often told at school, and in other parts of my life, that I was not good enough or that girls could not do that.
“I want my achievements to show that whoever you are, and wherever you are from, you can be anything you want to be. It is all about believing in yourself and never giving up.”