Faye Gaskin orchestrates the plays for St Helens. As the Women’s Super League Grand Final approaches on Sunday, with Saints set to face York Valkyrie, her pivotal role as a scrum-half has earned her a nomination for the prestigious Woman of Steel award at the Rugby League Awards on Tuesday. This recognition is particularly poignant given the career-threatening fractured kneecap she sustained three years ago, which still causes her significant pain with every kick. However, Sunday will mark both her first Grand Final and her final game. At 32, Gaskin’s focus has shifted to starting a family.

“I was very unwell after the 2018 World Cup and lost one of my ovaries. Doctors advised me to consider having a family before I turn 35,” she explains. “You have to seize the opportunity; undergoing IVF while still playing rugby would be financially impractical.” Gaskin, full of energy, managed to squeeze in a half-hour interview with the Observer in her Warrington living room before heading off to her job as a PE teacher at a local sixth form college. “I could cry every time I think about it,” she says, reflecting on her final match in a career that spans from amateur beginnings to the nascent stages of professional women’s rugby.

Born and raised in Widnes, Gaskin began playing at Westbank Bears when she was just seven years old. Being the only girl on the team, she would wear a skull cap to hide her hair, not wanting anyone to go easy on her during tackles. Attending Widnes games was a cherished family tradition. “I’d wear my full kit with my boots, telling my mum, ‘If anyone gets injured, I can step in.’ She’d just laugh and say, ‘Keep dreaming.’ My family didn’t have much money, so getting new boots with a Widnes kit for my birthday felt like I was the richest kid in the world.”

A gifted athlete, Gaskin also had trials for Liverpool and Great Britain athletics. At 14, her PE teacher advised her to choose one sport. “I said, ‘I’ll play rugby for England one day,’ and she looked at me like I was crazy. ‘Faye, you’re picking rugby?’ It wasn’t an easy choice. When I left mixed rugby at 12, finding a girls’ team was tough, moving from Chorley to Leigh East to Batley Heath, with my mum, Elaine, always driving me. ‘I ate a lot of my meals on the motorway.’”

Gaskin was called up by England in 2015 and played in the 2017 World Cup, experiences that now seem from a different era. “In 2015, we paid £800 to tour France with England. Next year, the team is off to Vegas to play Australia in a Test match—that’s a huge leap.” The Women’s Super League was formed in 2018, with St Helens joining and Gaskin following. Emerging fit from the Covid lockdown, she suffered a career-threatening injury celebrating a try in the 2021 Challenge Cup final.

“I was about to go into surgery and asked, ‘When can I play again?’ The surgeon said, ‘You’ll never play again,’ and I thought, ‘What?!’ He said, ‘You won’t play again, Faye. If we save your knee, the surgery is a success.’ Then he walked off. I asked the nurse, ‘Is he serious?’ Next thing I knew, I was out cold.” Despite the odds, Gaskin defied expectations to return, though she still limps and experiences pain. The mental recovery was challenging—she isn’t one to sit and watch. “I was around the team but didn’t feel part of it… Their success was bittersweet.”

Gaskin returned in 2023, though not at full strength, deciding to get fit and play one more year. “It’s hard when your life revolves around sport and your family’s life revolves around you. It’s a selfish career. I have a niece, three nephews, and I need to be there for them.” So, in her first year of being paid to play—and playing the best rugby of her career—Gaskin is stepping away. Whatever comes next, she’ll tackle it head-on, with no reservations.