I love rugby league. It’s my favourite sport (cricket comes in a close second) and it’s by far the best winter code.
I watch not only my team’s game each weekend but often watch at least one extra. I’m in a tipping competition and a fantasy league. I attend at least four games each year. I would be a full season ticketed member if it wasn’t for my unpredictable work schedule. My seven-year-old son loves footy as well. He is in his second season of junior rugby league and loves it. He bugs me to play with him whenever I am home early from work. We are a rugby league family!
However, not everyone is as dyed in the wool, obsessed with and committed to rugby league as we are. And unfortunately when it comes to junior sport and promotion of the game to children, rugby league is a poor cousin to other codes.
For starters, despite being in Queensland there has been no outside rugby league involvement at my son’s school. The Brisbane Roar, Brisbane Heat and Brisbane Lions have all been to my son’s school.
The Heat and Roar have run before school activities in each of my son’s first three years of school. My son has played in them both and thoroughly enjoyed them. Due to the non-contact nature of football (kids aren’t allowed to tackle during lunchtime) that is what he plays with his mates most lunch times as a flow on from the Roar’s involvement in the school.
The AFL, with their Auskick program (run after school), have a large number of kids signing up and playing each year. They receive free tickets to the games and AFL gear. I know of lots of kids whose families love rugby league but their kids are playing AFL now because of the success of the Auskick program.
My son hasn’t really registered a great deal of interest in AFL so far, but if he asks to be a part of Auskick I won’t say no.
My son plays rugby league and there is not a single child in his team whose family isn’t passionate about rugby league. But there are lots of families who are league fans whose kids play football and AFL. Rugby league is doing very little to attract new families to the game.
Then it comes to junior rugby league on the weekends. I won’t mention clubs or regions involved but where my son plays would be best described as a disorganised rabble. My son’s volunteer coaches and team managers are brilliant. They freely give of their time, love working with the kids and communicate well with us as parents.
But they are constantly frustrated with the rabble that is junior rugby league. Again I don’t want to blame the individuals that are involved as they are most probably volunteers as well, but it is very obvious that there are no systems in place and that not a lot of resources are given to junior clubs.
My son played Milo junior cricket over the summer. It was brilliantly organised, reliable and made it very easy for parents to be involved and was obviously well resourced. It also meant I could plan my work schedule around a set time each week to ensure I saw my son play.
I have friends that have children play junior soccer. The draw is set at the start of the season and rarely changed, giving parents and grandparents the opportunity to make sure they are there to see their kids play.
As I sit here and type this we found out last when and where my son would be playing league on the weekend. My family will travel for over an hour a couple of times a year to watch their grandson/nephew play but it becomes difficult when we don’t know details of matches and carnivals.
Even the regular season games that are on the Fox Sports Pulse app are never more than a week in advance and often change times or venues last minute.
I volunteer at the training sessions and games when I can make it, and am hopeful in the next few years my work will change and allow me to give a lot more time to helping out. This is not a whinge from someone who doesn’t want to help.
It is obvious that either other codes pour a lot more money into their junior sport than the NRL does or they have far superior systems in place to make sure the money is spent effectively to bring new families into the game and run their current competitions smoothly.
I suspect it is a case of both. I implore the ARLC to make investing in junior rugby league their major priority over the next few years. Make sure that efficient systems are in place to help currently frustrated volunteers. Make an investment in rugby league so that junior clubs have the resources that other codes seem to have in spades.
Otherwise, the battle we are currently losing to other codes at a junior level will be all but over.
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