Female Participation Numbers in NSW

[Brick Tamland]

• 26,300 registered in NSW to play in 2023
• 14% increase on last year

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/le...tion-in-footy-skyrockets-20230712-p5dnr0.html

League of their own: Female participation in footy skyrockets​

ByBillie Eder​

July 15, 2023 — 5.30am
Save

Seven years ago, only five per cent of players at All Saints Toongabbie Tigers rugby league club were female.​

Today, female participation comprises a whopping 43 per cent of the club’s registrations and is indicative of a wider trend across NSW, in which more women and girls are taking up the sport every year.

General manager of junior league at the Parramatta Eels, Adam Fairley, said the Toongabbie Tigers had led the charge in female football in the Parramatta area, which has 946 registered female players in 2023 – an increase of 303 in one season.
“It is just sort of evolving [female game], the trend setters have been All Saints Toongabbie Tigers, they’re the club that really took the bull by the horns and progressed female football, and they have continued to build,” Fairley said.

In NSW, the women’s game has increased in popularity since the launch of the NRLW competition in 2018, and in the past three years registration numbers across the state have consistently topped 20,000.
More than 26,300 females are registered to play for the 2023 season in NSW, a 14 per cent increase on last year.
Fairley said the formation of the Eels’ NRLW team in 2021 had been a driving force behind the growth of the junior girls’ game, specifically in greater western Sydney.
“The female game is embryonic – and it’s heading in leaps and bounds in a very fast way,” Fairley said.
“While it’s always been there, now it’s in the media, it’s televised, there’s high promotion, female players are well-known stars in their own right, and quite obviously females want to be like them.”

“That [NRLW] provides the initial awareness, and there’s now a pathway for female athletes to play NRLW, and it’s there for all to see.”

Toongabbie secretary Tim Moggridge said the focus on female participation also had positive effects on their male registrations.
“We had a number of girls coming through the ranks [back in 2014], and we identified that there was an opportunity there. So, we implemented some strategies around it, and it’s just paid off tenfold,” Moggridge said.
“Bringing girls and open women’s into our game has actually brought along the boys’ numbers at times – the sisters, the brothers, the whole family.”

Jess Wichman, whose five-year-old daughter Leilani is playing her first year with the Tigers’ under-6s, said league had taken over in their household since Leilani started playing.
“We went to the trial and train and ever since that day she asks every day, when is Thursday footy training? When is it my game?” Wichman said.
“She’s a massive Parramatta Eels fan, so she thinks it’s the best thing that she plays in the Parramatta league. We gave her the option of what would you like to do, and because all of her uncles have played, and we watch footy on the weekend, she just said she wanted to play footy.”

 

[Pneuma]

• 26,300 registered in NSW to play in 2023
• 14% increase on last year

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/le...tion-in-footy-skyrockets-20230712-p5dnr0.html

Every club in every district in Australia needs to take this approach. In Victoria there are now over 40 female teams playing not including mixed grades under 11. This is booming and the potential is only being realised now.

 

[10$ Ferret]

Every club in every district in Australia needs to take this approach. In Victoria there are now over 40 female teams playing not including mixed grades under 11. This is booming and the potential is only being realised now.

40 is that a typo ? the Sydney region has over 60 female sides u17 and over not including NRLW.
Thats just Sydney and Macarthur regions, the country areas esp Illawarra and Central Coast have large female competitions from what I remember

 

[Pneuma]

V

40 is that a typo ? the Sydney region has over 60 female sides u17 and over not including NRLW.
Thats just Sydney and Macarthur regions, the country areas esp Illawarra and Central Coast have large female competitions from what I remember

Nrl Victoria has 253 teams in total this year in Melbourne which is a record. About 130 of those are under 11s down which are mixed. Of the 120 others over 12s up 1/3 are female i.e. 40. That’s pretty good for a developing comp. Hope that’s clearer.

 

[The Penguin #6.]

• 26,300 registered in NSW to play in 2023
• 14% increase on last year

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/le...tion-in-footy-skyrockets-20230712-p5dnr0.html

The positive thing for me in that article - amongst many positive things - is that some of the people interviewed said that having their daughters playing was even driving more boys to sign up to the game. The whole female thing is just a win, win, win all round, it really makes me wonder if is this another factor in driving crowds this year. Rugby League families, it makes sense.

 

[Pneuma]

The positive thing for me in that article - amongst many positive things - is that some of the people interviewed said that having their daughters playing was even driving more boys to sign up to the game. The whole female thing is just a win, win, win all round, it really makes me wonder if is this another factor in driving crowds this year. Rugby League families, it makes sense.

In addition to this we have to think of a rugby league club as a club that offers all versions of the game. Mum and dad playing over 35s tag, kids playing tackle or tag or refereeing. It doesn’t matter. Just have them all part of a club and part of the rugby league community

 

[10$ Ferret]

V

Nrl Victoria has 253 teams in total this year in Melbourne which is a record. About 130 of those are under 11s down which are mixed. Of the 120 others over 12s up 1/3 are female i.e. 40. That’s pretty good for a developing comp. Hope that’s clearer.

A lot clearer, epsecially when read it properly. For some stupid reason I thought you meant AFL. Just another old persons moment for me.
That is great work for Vic. I do see a lot of clubs up here working hard, but the more the merrier

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

The positive thing for me in that article - amongst many positive things - is that some of the people interviewed said that having their daughters playing was even driving more boys to sign up to the game. The whole female thing is just a win, win, win all round, it really makes me wonder if is this another factor in driving crowds this year. Rugby League families, it makes sense.

You might recall a thread on another forum in which posters from the UK and North America testified how rare it is to meet an Aussie abroad with any interest in RL. Almost as true of people from NSW/QLD as the other states.

I've read numerous profiles of NRLW players who say they had zero knowledge of the game and its rules before they started to play it.

All this despite extensive NRL media coverage including regular FTA TV broadcasts.

Most plausible explanation for the surprisingly low general awareness is that until fairly recently NRL made scant effort to reach the female half of the population.

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

An article on NRL.com about Canberra's English NRLW recruit Hollie-Mae Dodd includes the following bizarre observation -

"While most NRLW stars come from a background of Rugby Union, League Tag or Touch, the former Castleford Tiger arrives in the ACT with a CV of a different kind - a former ballroom dancing champion".

This might just be badly worded. However, if the first part of the sentence is intended to be read as written, it must mean the journalist is completely oblivious to the junior league backgrounds of the bulk of NRLW players.

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

the Sydney region has over 60 female sides u17 and over

Does that figure include League Tag?

 

[10$ Ferret]

Does that figure include League Tag?

no its tackle RL.
With the NSWHN starting and ending earlier, players not making NRLW are then going back to play A grade which is helping to grow the game

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

no its tackle RL.
With the NSWHN starting and ending earlier, players not making NRLW are then going back to play A grade which is helping to grow the game

I put the question because I was wondering if the 40 figure for female teams in Vic included League Tag.

On their website they have under-12s girls 4 teams, under-14s girls 14 teams, under-16s girls 8 teams, open-age 5 teams. No mention of Tag so must be all Tackle.

Would like to see the numbers for League Tag to get a better idea of all-round participation.

 

[Pneuma]

I put the question because I was wondering if the 40 figure for female teams in Vic included League Tag.

On their website they have under-12s girls 4 teams, under-14s girls 14 teams, under-16s girls 8 teams, open-age 5 teams. No mention of Tag so must be all Tackle.

Would like to see the numbers for League Tag to get a better idea of all-round participation.

Correct. It’s tackle. There is no league tag in those age groups yet. They obviously only want to play tackle. Note the 16s have ten teams and the under 12s have 5 girls teams and 16 mixed teams. Pretty impressive growth in a short time.

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

Note the 16s have ten teams and the under 12s have 5 girls teams and 16 mixed teams. Pretty impressive growth in a short time.

In the 12s Hume are listed twice but only one team seem to be playing games. Maybe they have two teams who alternate?

In the 16s there are 10 teams listed but only 8 in the ladder and draws. Bit confusing.

Correct. It’s tackle. There is no league tag in those age groups yet.

I'm even more confused about the League Tag. I remember watching lots of Victorian junior LT highlights on YouTube around 2014/17.

Very good standard. A Northern Thunder player called Ameena Kanj produced some astonishing mazy runs. Sticks in my mind because someone with that name subsequently appeared in Parra's Tarsha Gale Cup team. Must be the same girl.

Pretty impressive growth in a short time.

No confusion here. It's fantastic. Melbourne could now have a bigger junior league than Auckland. Hard to be certain when the ARL site is currently a dog's breakfast for facts and figures.

 

[Pneuma]

In the 12s Hume are listed twice but only one team seem to be playing games. Maybe they have two teams who alternate?

In the 16s there are 10 teams listed but only 8 in the ladder and draws. Bit confusing.


I'm even more confused about the League Tag. I remember watching lots of Victorian junior LT highlights on YouTube around 2014/17.

Very good standard. A Northern Thunder player called Ameena Kanj produced some astonishing mazy runs. Sticks in my mind because someone with that name subsequently appeared in Parra's Tarsha Gale Cup team. Must be the same girl.


No confusion here. It's fantastic. Melbourne could now have a bigger junior league than Auckland. Hard to be certain when the ARL site is currently a dog's breakfast for facts and figures.

The ARL site (and pretty much every kiwi league site) is a nightmare. NRLWA site is similar. Discrepancy in the vic teams could be sides dropping in and out.

 

[10$ Ferret]

Very good standard. A Northern Thunder player called Ameena Kanj produced some astonishing mazy runs. Sticks in my mind because someone with that name subsequently appeared in Parra's Tarsha Gale Cup team. Must be the same girl.

Certainly is, well I think it is. Bucket loads of talent there and tough. I have seen her play a bit.

 

[siv]

League Tag has been a resounding success in growing RL in the CC and Newcastle

Its important to keep League Tag in the overall junior program going forward

 

[The Penguin #6.]

League Tag has been a resounding success in growing RL in the CC and Newcastle

Its important to keep League Tag in the overall junior program going forward

The fact they had an OzTag exhibition match during half-time at this year`s Sydney SOO and that Abdo and V`landy`s continually refer to the three versions of our game show that the ARLC are all over this now.
Similar to seven-a-side soccer I don`t think there is any other winter code that has such a brilliant entry point to the game as we do in Touch and Tag.

 

[The Penguin #6.]

League Tag has been a resounding success in growing RL in the CC and Newcastle

Its important to keep League Tag in the overall junior program going forward

Abdo and V`landy`s continually refer to the three versions of our game show that the ARLC are all over this now.

From V`landy`s in today`s Herald:

“Participation is engagement, and the beauty about rugby league is that you don’t have to play contact; you can play touch, tag or contact.

“We’ll have that structure right across PNG. It’s not all about contact, it’s about having junior teams from seven years and up. And that’s not to say that adults can’t participate in touch and tag."

 

[siv]

Gee PNG RL was all about contact

Pity they banned the shoulder charge