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.
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.