Meet the rising Leeds rugby star living her dream and travelling across the world

“I almost missed the email, so I thought my chance had gone,” the rising rugby star from Leeds confessed.

When Chevelle saw the message, she “jumped” at the chance to respond, and luckily, she was just in time.

Before she knew it, she was playing with Jamaica’s National Rugby Team, the Reggae Warriors, over 4,000 miles away in Florida.

Now, at just 20 years old, Chevelle’s rugby career is thriving. In August last year, she represented Jamaica again at the Junior Pan American Games in Paraguay, an experience she described as an “unreal experience”.

A few months later, she signed her first-ever professional contract with the women’s rugby league team York Valkyrie.

For Chevelle, the chance to travel while playing a sport she loves is something she feels incredibly fortunate to do.

“It’s honestly a dream because I’ve always wanted to travel, and now I get to do it playing sport. I’m really fortunate,” Chevelle said.

“Rugby has brought these things open to me, and I’m just grateful.”

Chevelle first got into rugby in her final year of primary school when a friend invited her to a training session. Before rugby became her career, playing the team sport was simply a social activity.

She added: “It was something new but I was excited to play with my friends.

“I never really thought of it as a competitive sport, I just thought of it as something to do with my friends at the weekend.”

When playing at a school match, she received an invite to try out for York RLFC’s under-16s academy.

Chevelle credited York RLFC with helping her “grow” as a player, and she sees the coaches and her fellow Valkyrie players as keen sources of inspiration within the sport.

Women’s rugby is growing in popularity with last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup experiencing record-level viewing figures, and Chevelle believes this an exciting change.

Chevelle said: “I think it’s crazy how much the sport has grown for women.

“I used to have to play with boys and now I’ve got a contract for a professional women’s team in the Women’s Super League.”

Chevelle highlighted that the support from her mother, who would “take her anywhere” for a game, has been crucial to her success within rugby. She also said that she is grateful to her friends and family who cheer her on at games and are patient with the sacrifices she has to make for her career.

At the moment, Chevelle is thriving within the rugby world and she has her hopes set high for the future. One ambition she has is to play in the Women’s Origin, a match between Yorkshire and Lancashire’s rugby league teams.

Chevelle said: “They do a game every year and I’d love to play because I feel like Yorkshire’s built me.

“Yorkshire’s all about rugby league and that’s all me, so I’d love to do that.”

From playing her first game in east Leeds to now playing across the world, rugby has changed Chevelle’s life. Her greatest advice to anyone interested in the sport is simple: to give it a go.

“Rugby’s for everybody, all shapes and sizes, all types,” Chevelle said.

“If anything just try it out with friends. And if you don’t like it the first time? Try again.”