YORK Valkyrie director of rugby Lindsay Anfield has been named as the 2023 Betfred Women’s Super League Coach of the Year.
It’s been an outstanding double-winning season for Anfield’s side, who twice made history with an unbeaten league campaign that also saw them crowned Grand Final winners for the first time on Sunday.
Following Anfield’s appointment in 2021, the Valkyrie have undergone a tremendous rise to the sport’s pinnacle.
They played in their first Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final that same year, before taking home a maiden League Leaders’ Shield and Women’s Nines title, and making their first Grand Final appearance last term.
However, despite missing out on a historic first Women’s Challenge Cup Final this year, York have dominated proceedings, a second League Leaders’ Shield and first Grand Final victory a fitting end to their season.
Centre turned winger Emma Kershaw narrowly missed out on the Women’s Super League Young Player of the Year award to Leeds Rhinos’ half-back Caitlin Casey, who scored their only try in the trophy-crowning match last weekend.
Asked if there was a hangover from Sunday’s Grand Final triumph, Anfield was quick to respond: “It’s not too bad actually, I was at work the next morning!
“Can we have it on a Saturday next time please!” she joked.
“But it’s been an amazing year. We were really disappointed to lose out in the Grand Final last year to Leeds and it leaves a really bad taste in your mouth so as soon as that was finished, we got onto planning for this season.
“We were pretty strict with them - you’re either fully in or you’re fully out. But they committed.
“This is only a little thing, but the trophies that they’ve won this year are amazing, so I’m really proud of them.”
She recalled a bet with Tara Jane Stanley, making good on her promise to either drink Bailey's from the full-back's boot or get a tattoo if they triumphed in this year's Grand Final.
Anfield also thanked all the staff behind the scenes at the Valkyrie: "Coach of the Year, all the coaches will know that it's a huge team effort with performance staff, and I've got a lot of volunteers at my club who put in as much effort as I do.
"I'm really proud of them.
"The girls this year, over the past few years we've had a bit of drama with all sorts of things going on off-field, but this year they just focused, managed to keep themselves calm and I've just been really proud of the performances.
"We were so disappointed not to get to Wembley, but credit to the two teams that did.
"It's been a great year."
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