Sharks womens team have picked up a sponsor without having a comp to play in.
Yet Parra still can't get one with national exposure.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...t/news-story/2e15c2b67839e24b4e49038b55ec1c69
Cronulla Sharks women’s nines team earn sponsors with no effort
A LINE you’ll often hear during this women’s sport Zeitgeist is that having female professional leagues and teams right now is about developing pathways, and commercial benefits aren’t of immediate concern.
Ruan Sims shows off the women’s jersey with the new sponsorship. Picture: Gregg Porteous
But the Cronulla Sharks have learnt that financial windfalls can also be achieved.
In what was almost an ‘if you build it they will come’ approach, the Sharks have picked up front and back of jersey sponsors for their women’s nines team this season — a team that has no official competition to play in.
The Sharks contracted 28 female players — including Jillaroos Ruan Sims, Maddie Studdon, Corban McGregor and Allana Ferguson — to the club for 2017 with the purpose of having them training regularly and playing exhibition games to be match-ready for rep selection.
But they have picked up two sponsors who have no previous association with the club or the men’s team.
Australian Solar Designs will be on the front of the women’s jersey this season and owner-director Scott Mason said he considered partnering with the men’s team, but knew his investment would have greater appreciation and value with the female side.
The Sharks added to women’s team to the club to help grow the female game in the Shire and because of the importance of diversity at the club. Picture: Gregg Porteous
“I’d rather help someone out who needs it rather than doesn’t need it so much and that’s how I looked at the whole business strategy around it,” Mason said.
“Even if I didn’t get any jobs out of that money or whatever it was, I’d rather give it to the women than the guys because they need it more and would be more appreciative for it.”
The Sharks hadn’t been actively in the market for sponsors, instead spreading the word of why they started a women’s team.
Cronulla CEO Lyall Gorman said they want girls and women to see rugby league as a game everyone can play and the commercial upside of partnerships with Australian Solar Designs and Airboard Co will allow them to continue to grow the footprint.
“We’re not doing this because of commercial, we’re doing it because it’s part of our culture as an organisation. But, it shows you that engagement at that level can in fact have other offshoots,” said Gorman.
Corban McGregor and Ruan Sims are two Jillaroos squad members in the Sharks 28-player roster. Picture: Gregg Porteous
“[Rugby league] is something that has probably had a skew towards male and a certain demographic, from an off-the-field perspective.
“These girls are showcasing that this is a sport for all, regardless of gender or any other diversity areas.
“What we want is our venue embraced by young boys and girls, mums and dads. By doing this we show that there’s a real pathway.”
Cronulla have six exhibition games at NRL home matches this season and are scheduled to play the Dragons at 5.15pm tonight, weather permitting.
Other games are against the Knights (Rd 5), Titans (Rd 8), Cowboys (Rd 11), Storm (Rd 14) and Sea Eagles (Rd 16).
