Women’s rugby league was introduced to Canberra in 1991 through the efforts of local citizens. From an early February expression of interest in forming a team in the
Canberra Times, a committee was formed, contact and affiliation with the ACT Rugby League was instigated and twenty minute, seven-a-side exhibition matches were held in March 1991. A four team competition commenced in late May 1991, initially with nine-a-side but this became ten-a-side later in the season. Two club teams were sent to an eight-team women's rugby league tournament in the
Illawarra in mid-July, with East Canberra winning it. An ACT representative team was selected to play Illawarra in late August 1992. Canberra club teams competed in subsequent National Championships between 1992 and 1994, with several of these competitions hosted in the
Australian Capital Territory. The National Championships switched to representative teams in 1995 and Canberra or Australian Capital Territory teams competed in several if not all years until 2003. Canberra hosted the
second-ever women’s rugby league test match in July 1995, against
New Zealand. Six members of the
Australian team were from Canberra clubs. The following year, Canberra hosted a tour match and the First Test in
Great Britain’s tour. The region again hosted the 2002
Great Britain tourists, with a tour match at
Seiffert Oval,
Queanbeyan. The Third and deciding Test match of this series was played ahead of a
Canberra Raiders match at
Bruce Stadium. After a break of fifteen years, Canberra next hosted a women’s rugby league Test Match in 2017. In 2018, an idea to name the future women's team as the Canberra Valkyries was explored. In November 2021, the
Canberra Raiders announced their intent to apply for an NRLW licence. In April 2022 the club submitted their application to enter the 2023 NRL Women’s Premiership. In June 2022 the
NRL announced that the Raiders were one of four clubs accepted into the NRLW for the 2023 season. } || Darrin Borthwick ==Players==