Edinburgh woman who feared she’d never play sport again to captain wheelchair rugby league team at World Cup

When a severe asthma attack left Olivia Fulton in intensive care with physical disabilities, she feared she would never again represent her country in sport.

Forced to give up lacrosse, she fell into a deep depression and never imagined she would one day captain Scotland at a World Cup.

The personal trainer nearly backed out when a friend suggested she try her hand at wheelchair rugby league at a new club in the Capital to get her out of her slump.

The wheelchair-user “hasn’t looked back since”.

Three years on from joining the Edinburgh Giants, she is preparing to lead Scotland at the Rugby League World Cup at the end of this month.

She said: “It was kind of a pinch me moment when I was asked. It's just a bit surreal, going from never thinking I would play a sport from my country again to going into a World Cup as captain.

“I still didn't quite have the words. When I say it out loud it still doesn't quite feel real.”

Six other Edinburgh Giants players will join her in Scotland’s 12-member squad. They all took up the sport after former England coach Martyn Gill founded the only remaining wheelchair rugby league club off the back of the last World Cup in England.

Wheelchair rugby league is largely the same as the “running” version with disabled and able-bodied players working together to score tries and conversions while pulling tags from opponents to make tackles.

“It's a contact sport, it's full on. It's fast, it's furious.” the captain for her club and country said.

“It’s being back in that team environment, doing something where I’m not limited by my disability. Because you're in the chair, if your arms sort of work you are good to go essentially.”

Being disabled comes at an average cost of about £1000 extra each month, making sponsorships vital in a sport where purpose-built chairs can set players, particularly able-bodied ones, back thousands.

Although most players get support through club and personal sponsors, Mrs Fulton admitted it is “not a cheap sport”.

Scotland’s World Cup team will have accommodation and flights to Australia covered by the host nation but needed support covering other costs like kit.

Ms Fulton urged anyone interested in trying the relatively new sport not to be put off, saying: “Just come along to the training session and we have everything there that they would need.”

Funding from children’s rugby charity Wooden Spoon Scotland has allowed the Edinburgh Giants to purchase seven youth wheelchairs in the hope of attracting a fresh wave of young players.

“It will expose youngsters to the sport coming through, so hopefully that opens up that next level,” said Ms Fulton, who earned her first Scotland cap just three months after taking up the sport.

Scotland knows they face an uphill battle at the World Cup but the players and coaching staff have a goal: “Everyone wants to get out of the group stages, so that is our aim: to get out of the group stages and get as far as we can.”

Scotland will kick off against France at 4am October 31, with their opponents expected to come out “all guns blazing”.