In a major milestone for Ugandan sports, Peace Lekuru has become the first Ugandan woman to sign with a rugby league club in the UK’s Women’s Super League. The 25-year-old made her move earlier this month to join York Valkyrie, a top-tier team based in North Yorkshire, England.
Lekuru, who plays as a centre or backrower, says the transition has been nothing short of a dream come true. “I feel like I’m lifting up the flag of Uganda and I don’t take it for granted,” she said. “I feel like I’ve really achieved my goals now, by being here in York.”
Since arriving in the UK, she has quickly settled into life at the club. “Having people around you, there’s no difference between home and here. I was really welcomed with warm hands—having another family who are so friendly and loving,” she shared.
York Valkyrie’s director of rugby, Lindsay Anfield, has long-standing ties with East Africa, having led multiple rugby development tours to Uganda and Kenya since 2006 through her work with the Tag Rugby Trust. It was during one of these trips that she first met Lekuru, then a promising tag rugby graduate.
The breakthrough moment came in 2023 when Lekuru led her team, Entebbe Baleen, to a national rugby league title in Uganda. Impressed by her performance and leadership, Anfield knew she had the potential to compete on a bigger stage.
“Peace has been on our radar for a while now,” Anfield noted. “I thought, Peace can mix in with the best of them, so why not bring her in—and she’s proved exactly that. I’m really proud of her.”
Despite initial concerns from her family, especially her mother who worried about the distance, Lekuru says she’s been able to keep close ties with home. “My mum didn’t want me to be far away because I’m the only girl. Now she’s like, ‘As long as you give me a call and you’re smiling, that’s the goal for me.’”
Lekuru recently made headlines by scoring a hat-trick in a match against Barrow Ladies, further proving that she’s already making her mark in the league.
Anfield believes Lekuru’s signing could be a turning point for Ugandan women’s rugby. “She’s a real trailblazer for African women’s rugby,” she said. “Hopefully she’s the first of many. Even five years ago, you wouldn’t find girls saying they wanted to be professional rugby players—now it’s a real possibility.”
Peace Lekuru’s journey is not just a personal victory—it’s a beacon of hope and inspiration for young girls across Uganda who dream of playing professional sports on the global stage.
Additional reporting by BBC News.
