Women in league and touch footy

[DINGb@T]

Was watching the women's State of Origin touch footy comp that followed the Sunday Roast. Not bad watching. What really struck me was the speed and agressiveness of the games being played. It got me thinking that this could be a good way of getting more women involved with league.

The games were fast, agressive and skillful- fulfilling most peoples criteria for a fair dinkum sport- while not upsetting a lot of people's notions of femininity. With these qualities why doesn't league get behind women's touch and promote it as part of league? By involving womens touch as part of the 'League Family' you'd be including an entire new section of the community in league (women athletes), addressing the need for more female involvment in the game and, along with the proposed under 20 comp, further boosting league's unique strengths and position within the community.

Obviously it wouldn't get the same attention as the full contact version, but with clubs having their own women touch teams, along with an under 20 men's full contact team, that's a full day of play at the footy with something for the whole family.

I think it would get a lot more women involved with league, provide good role models for girls in schools and from league families, and give league a much higher exposure in non league heartlands where they're crying out for high exposure national sporting competitions for girls (netball is about it at the moment).

It's a big idea but I reckon it'd be good for league and womens sport.

 

[Ice777]

We got that down here today as weel and i was watching it myself and i never minded it. The really f**ked up thing is that they showed that down here in Melbourne, but if Friday nights or last nights game were scheduled to be played today then it's more than likely we wouldn't have shown it here until who knows what hour tonight as has happened so often in the past. This is the bullsh*t we have to deal with down here and the NRL just let it happen :roll:

 

[Gibbo]

I think one of the biggest shames with league is the whole Oztag movement. The Oztag game couuld be used much the same way that American flag football is used in the US i.e. a way to introduce women, young children and developing sports areas to football. There are even professional flag football comps that span both Nth and Sth America, and it has raised the NFL's profile in Sth America substantially.

Sadly the bloke who invented Oztag (an ex-footy player who shall remain nameless) is loathe to let the Australian rugby league use his creation for this very purpose (even after he was offered substantial $).

The ARL development has since developed a similar game called league tag, which they play in schools and in expansion states women comps but the Oztag inventor has tried to take them to court etc, meaning league tag faces a big struggle to get off the ground.

In my mind this is extremly poor behaviour. What is Oztag but a modified version of rugby league? This bloke has made a name for himself through rugby league and is now holding it for ransom. Imagine if local rugby league clubs each had a womans side, rugby league could broaden its appeal and supporter base enormously. Its so sad because Oztag (and League tag) are genunially exciting games, and they have a huge potential to benefit the expansion of league. But, once again, its all about $$$ instead of betering the game.

By the way, i don't think we should totally write off womens contact rugby league. The ARL development group just completed a girls tackle day on the gold coast which was a huge success with an opens and a u/14's comp involving 12 different schools from the Gold Coast and NThn NSW. Heaps of people came to watch and the girls put on a great display, with members from the Australian womens team on hand to present the trophies.

You go girls!

 

[Inferno]

just wondering, how can touch football be aggressive?

 

[The Dawson Twins Minus 1]

just wondering, how can touch football be aggressive?

You need to play/see it played at a high level. I watched the NZ Touch Academy and "Fusion" (i.e. bits of their national and junior sides) team go at it in Singapore at the end of the Asian Club Championships a few moths back.

Definitely a case of go hard or go home. Despite the prohibition on big hits inherent in touch, this was a VERY agressive game.

Lung-busting stamina, perfect execution and absolute focus are required to foot it at that level.

 

[*Paul*]

My experience: I played for nearly 20 years - league wannabes I guess, would push and shove, niggle and cheat wherever possible. Very benign by a contact sport's standard, but rather irritating. And this was only your bog stantard, mums and dads style comps.

 

[raiders fan forever]

it was quite interesting to watch i gotta admit

 

[Copa]

Sadly the bloke who invented Oztag (an ex-footy player who shall remain nameless) is loathe to let the Australian rugby league use his creation for this very purpose (even after he was offered substantial $).

The ARL development has since developed a similar game called league tag, which they play in schools and in expansion states women comps but the Oztag inventor has tried to take them to court etc, meaning league tag faces a big struggle to get off the ground.

They seem to be cooperating according to these site.

http://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/events/awards/awards/participation.htm

the Australian Rugby League development and Australian Oztag developed ‘League Tag’

http://www.dragons.com.au/news/dragon_tag.asp

Oztag is the Trade Mark Name and is played in many Schools throughout Australia under the name of Oztag or League tag.

 

[Charlie124]

why doesn't league get behind women's touch and promote it as part of league? By involving womens touch as part of the 'League Family' you'd be including an entire new section of the community in league (women athletes), addressing the need for more female involvment in the game and, along with the proposed under 20 comp, further boosting league's unique strengths and position within the community.

It's a big idea but I reckon it'd be good for league and womens sport.

That all sounds well and good for league but you might want to consider that Touch football is a completely different sport to Rugby League, maybe they dont want to be "part of the league family". I mean its not like touch is just there for the taking for whoever wants to allow it to associate with them. Its like basketball fans saying they should allow netball to be associated with them.

 

[Bernster]

I used to play and referee Touch Football all up for 15 years until I had too many ankle injuries.

In Townsville, the Senior Winter Competition is nothing but a kiddie comp and I know that many adults are leaving the sport in droves. The problem is that the kiddies are whipping adults buts every week and the parents don't like it when the kids loose.

 

[*Paul*]

that Touch football is a completely different sport to Rugby League, maybe they dont want to be "part of the league family".

During the 80's (I think) they renamed some of the terms, dummy half became acting half, the play-the-ball, became a rollball, the marker was removed etc. Someone told me at the time that this was partly aimed at separating the two sports.

 

[Charlie124]

During the 80's (I think) they renamed some of the terms, dummy half became acting half, the play-the-ball, became a rollball, the marker was removed etc. Someone told me at the time that this was partly aimed at separating the two sports.

And fair enough too, I think too many people see touch football as just a very low contact version of Rugby League, which its not, the rules are completely different. Its just a completely different sport, it has its similarities but so do Basketball and Netball as ive said.

 

[Slackboy72]

+1
I was just thinking that myself today. So many league players play touch. So many touch players watch league. So many sides don't have reserve grades either. My warm up for a union training session was a half hour of touch.
I think it would be good to stop relegating women to the half-time-eye-candy entertainment role (although I do appreciate that and would prefer to see that at half time than Gus and Matty).

 

[DINGb@T]

Yeah, I take your point charlie about touch maybe wanting to be a seperate sport, but I was thinking in the selfish interests of league on purpose. If women touch was taken up by league, ultimately it would be mens touch that suffered the most.
But if you were a part of womens touch wouldn't you jump at the chance to make your sport nationally recognised with the possibility of becoming full time atletes? I reckon it would be hard to pass up.