“I owe it to myself to try my best and see where that takes me – so far, that approach has been rewarding,” Emma Welsford said, reflecting on her journey on and off the rugby pitch as a standout student who captained her national team at just 18.
The 20-year-old from Boothstown, a leafy, tight-knit suburb in west Salford, explained she feels the support of her village every time she pulls on a Manchester Swinton Lionesses or Scotland shirt, or sits an exam while reading law at the Russell Group University of Warwick.
Welsford’s whirlwind weeks can involve as many as four rugby league sessions, a nine-to-five university schedule, shifts at a café and work as an English and psychology tutor helping students to prepare for their A-levels. “I love being constantly busy,” she said. “Sometimes the amount of travelling can be difficult, but I am definitely happy with where I am right now.”
From a café in Warwick, more than 100 miles from Salford, the Manchester Swinton Lionesses winger outlined the lengths she goes to represent a side that completed a league and cup double this season. “I’ll often finish up my shift on a Saturday evening and hop on a train back home before I play the game on Sunday and travel back down.”
Welsford’s commutes have proven worthwhile. This season, the flying winger has played a pivotal role as her side retained the Challenge Shield and booked their place in the National Championship play-offs by finishing top of the division. That success felt all the sweeter as the team avenged narrowly missing out on a top four spot last year.
“It’s really nice to be part of a team that’s rising,” she highlighted. “While it was disappointing to miss out last time, it was invigorating, and we came into the start of pre-season with a real fire in our bellies, determined to get over the line.”
Welsford began racing over the try line at 12, after a friend from St Mary’s Catholic High School encouraged the sporty youngster to try rugby league. She joined grassroots side Leigh Miners Rangers before progressing through the ranks at Wigan Warriors and has since moved on to star for Manchester Swinton Lionesses and her university side. “I have loved it from the very first session at Leigh,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve missed a week from then to now.”
“Grassroots teams make such a big difference,” she added. “It’s nice to see the number of girls’ teams starting from the age of 12. When I started playing, it was an anomaly as there were only two options. Now there’s plenty everywhere you look; it’s fantastic.”
At the heart of amateur clubs up and down the country are coaches who give their time to help grow the game and nurture the next generation of players. Welsford smiled as she described how Manchester Swinton Lionesses coach John Whalley has given her the belief to reach new heights and helped pave the way for her to play internationally.
“The club brought John in after a tough start to last season,” she explained. “From that point, we knew we could only go up from there.”
A former Warrington Wolves player, Whalley has made it his mission to create a pathway for women to reach international rugby and help develop the coaches who support them. Having transformed Ireland’s women’s rugby league team from an unranked nation to eighth in the world in just two years, he took on the Scotland job, creating an unprecedented opportunity for Welsford to step onto the international stage.
“The first discussions around a potential Scotland national team began in 2025, when John was appointed,” she explained. Her club coach wasted no time in gathering eligible players and organising early training sessions to assess the talent available and begin shaping what a new-look side may look like.
“Our first international squad was named in April time,” Welsford remembered. And things were about to get even better for the then 18-year-old, as she was handed a remarkable opportunity. “Around July 2025, I was named captain ahead of an August fixture against Wales.”
Thinking back to the moment she was entrusted with captaining Scotland, she said an immediate sense of pride washed over her. Not for a second, surrounded by older team-mates in the dressing room with more appearances and tries under their belts, did she feel any bitterness or resentment that they had been overlooked.
“Only now, when I look back on it, do I feel I probably should have been somewhat nervous or intimidated about my selection,” she said. “At the time, all the girls were lovely and there was never any sense of disparity.”
For an indication of why Welsford was handed the captaincy, look no further than the standards she has set in both sport and the classroom. She achieved nine grade 9s at GCSE before going on to secure two A*s and an A in her A-levels.
“I think it was my determination,” the Boothstown bright spark said when asked to pinpoint what might have convinced Whalley she had the qualities to marshal an older side. “That willingness to give everything, remain level-headed, but simultaneously give it your all, bring others on, make sure the team stays as one.”
After all, with teammates making gruelling journeys from all four corners of the UK to play, Welsford was confident there would never be a lack of buy-in. “We have people driving up from London, Bristol and coming all the way down from North Scotland to meet in the middle voluntarily and give it a chance,” she said. “Everyone pulls together, and we have such a great group.”
Whether lining up for Scotland on a tour of the United States or at Heywood Park in front of Manchester Swinton Lionesses fans, the self-effacing Welsford said she feels able to play with freedom, confident the players around her will always have her back.
In an amateur sport where international travel is largely self-funded, her trips to games around the world rely on a mixture of fundraising, sponsorship and support from home in Salford. Her Scotland sponsors range from Why Not, a café bar in Boothstown, to Metalube, the chemical plant in Irlam and civil engineering machinery company Mechplant.
Her grandmother also contributes in memory of her late grandfather, while family-run builders Smarterhomes4U and custom merchandiser Superfly Sports Flags help with the costs of playing for Manchester Swinton Lionesses.
Welsford recalled feeling overjoyed that Colin Shannon, the owner of Why Not, where she worked, wanted to sponsor her rugby pursuits. “Colin said he desperately wanted to sponsor me because he’s so proud,” she said. “It was empowering, and it is really lovely knowing that you have people watching back home and support that is not going anywhere.”
When Welsford clips on her scrum cap, catches a pass and charges towards the defending line donning the blue of Manchester Swinton Lionesses or Scotland, she is driven forward by her Salford friends and family who have been there every step of the way.
While her helter-skelter life moves at breakneck speed, she’s finding time to take in the special moments and set targets. “I am excited to see what comes ahead for both my legal career and sporting career,” she said, explaining she dreams of playing in a World Cup one day.
“For the moment it’s about continuing to try my best and trying to push my goals further and see where I can get.”
