Women's Super League fixtures announced - Leeds Rhinos' Headingley Stadium to host Grand Final

The title decider will take place on Sunday, October 11, the day after the men’s showpiece at Old Trafford.

Fixtures for the new 10-team competition, released today, will see Rhinos open their title defence at home to Bradford Bulls on Sunday, March 29.

Last year’s table-toppers Castleford Tigers, who were beaten by Leeds in the Challenge Cup decider and Grand Final, begin with a game at 2019 league runners-up St Helens.

Featherstone Rovers will have home advantage in a round one West Yorkshire derby against Wakefield Trinity.

Under a new format, the competition - featuring newcomers Huddersfield Giants and Warrington Wolves - will split after nine rounds, in mid-July, when every team has played all its rivals once.

The top-four will face each other home and away, with the leading pair after the six additional rounds going straight through the the Grand Final.

The bottom six after nine rounds will contest the Betfred Women’s Super League Shield, playing each other once before semi-finals and a final at Headingley ahead of the title decider.

Points from before the split will carry over into both the play-offs and Shield.

The change - from a home and away system, followed by top-four play-off semi-finals - is designed to produce more competitive matches, particularly late in the season.

Rhinos will use three home venues, with one game each at Headingley and the club’s Kirkstall training base and the rest at Sports Park Weetwood.

Tigers will play home games at the Jungle, Rovers at LD Nutrition Stadium and Trinity at Mobile Rocket Stadium.

Headingley was originally due to host the 2019 Grand Final on the day after the men’s games, but the game was moved forward two days and switched to St Helens due to England’s involvement in the World Cup Nines in Sydney.

The Coral Women's Challenge Cup final will be played at University of Bolton Stadium on Saturday, June 6, as a curtain-raisr to the two men’s semi-finals.

Betfred Women’s Super League fixtures:

Leeds Rhinos

March

Sun 29 Bradford Bulls (Sports Park Weetwood)

April

Sun 19 St Helens (a) 3pm

May

Fri 1 Featherstone Rovers (Headingley) 5.30pm

Sun 31 Castleford Tigers (SPW) 1pm

June

Sun 14 Warrington Wolves (a) 2pm

Fri 19 Wakefield Trinity (Leeds Rugby Academy, Kirkstall) 7.15pm

Sun 28 York City Knights (a) 2pm

July

Sun 5 Wigan Warriors (SPW) 1pm

Sun 12 Huddersfield Giants (a) 3pm

Castleford Tigers

March

Sun 29 St Helens (a) 3pm

April

Sun 19 Bradford Bulls (h) 2pm

May

Sun 3 Wakefield Trinity (h) 2pm

Sun 17 Wigan Warriors (a) 2pm

Sun 31 Leeds Rhinos (a) 1pm

June

Sun 21 York City Knights (h) 2pm.

Sun 28 Huddersfield Giants (h) 2pm

July

Sun 5 Featherstone Rovers (a) 3pm

Sun 12 Warrington Wolves (h) 2pm

Featherstone Rovers

March

Sun 29 Wakefield Trinity (h) 5pm

April

Sun 19 Wigan Warriors (h) 5pm

May

Fri 1 Leeds Rhinos (a) 5.30pm

Sun 17 St Helens (a) 3pm

Sun 31 Huddersfield Giants (a) 3pm

June

Sun 21 Warrington Wolves (h) 5pm

Sun 28 Bradford Bulls (h) 5pm

July

Sun 5 Castleford Tigers (h) 3pm

Sun 12 York City Knights (a) 2pm

Wakefield Trinity

March

Sun 29 Featherstone Rovers (a) 5pm

April

Sun 19 York City Knights (h) 1pm

May

Sun 3 Castleford Tigers (a) 2pm

Sat 16 Huddersfield Giants (h) 1pm

Sat 30 Warrington Wolves (a) 12.30pm

June

Fri 19 Leeds Rhinos (a) 7.15pm

Sun 28 Wigan Warriors (a) 2pm

July

Sun 5 Bradford Bulls (h) 1pm

Sun 12 St Helens (h) 1pm