Peace Lekuru has made history as the first Ugandan national to join a women’s rugby super league team, signing with York Valkyrie in North Yorkshire.
The 25-year-old centre and backrower relocated from Uganda earlier this month, joining a club that has long-standing sporting ties with her home country.
Describing the move as a “dream come true,” Lekuru said she felt she was “lifting the flag of Uganda” and had found “another family” within the team.
Lekuru’s connection with York Valkyrie dates back to the early 2000s when the club’s director of rugby, Lindsay Anfield, first introduced rugby league to Africa through the Tag Rugby Trust charity.
Anfield, who has led multiple tours to Uganda and Kenya over the past two decades, first met Lekuru as a tag rugby graduate.
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Her outstanding performance in 2023, leading Entebbe Baleen to a Ugandan Rugby League title, cemented her place on the club’s radar.
Anfield lauded Lekuru as a “trailblazer for African women’s rugby” and expressed hopes that her signing would inspire more Ugandan girls to pursue the sport professionally.
“Even five years ago, many wouldn’t dream of becoming a professional female rugby player — now it’s a reality,” she said.
Just three weeks into her time in York, Lekuru has already made an impact, scoring a hat-trick in a match against Barrow Ladies on 27 July.
For Lekuru, the welcome she has received has made the transition easy.
“There’s no difference between home and here. I was welcomed with warm hands,” she said. “I’m having fun, learning, and feeling truly at home.”
Image Credit: Nexus Media
