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When the AFL announced it was launching a women’s competition in 2017, people immediately wondered what the NRL would do in response.
Following the conclusion of the inaugural AFLW competition, which was considered a resounding success, there is no longer just curiosity from rugby league fans about when we will have a competition of our own.
The AFL has shown what’s possible and now the question every rugby league fan wants answered is ‘when will the NRL have its own women’s competition?’
Last weekend I had the opportunity to speak with NRL Chief Executive Officer, Todd Greenberg, and ask the million-dollar question.
But instead of asking for the date when fans could expect a women’s competition, I wanted to hear from Todd about the NRL’s pathways. I asked about ensuring that when the NRL does launch a women’s competition, that there is a real and sustainable pathway for young women to have the opportunity to play rugby league from the grassroots, to the elite level.
The NRL is not the AFL and there are multiple ways to skin a cat.
While the AFL decided to put money and resources into a professional competition, Todd has made it clear several times that this is not the path that the NRL will be taking. Instead the focus is very much on developing those pathways and building the competition from the ground up, rather than the top-down.
This approach will ensure that every girl and every woman that wants to play rugby league has a clear path from beginning to the elite. It will ensure that a sustainable competition and a strong and marketable product when the professional competition is finally launched.
According to Todd, while the NRL could introduce a three to four team competition right now which would align to existing clubs, the prevailing issue is where these women will play footy once this competition ends. I wonder whether this is something the AFL has considered in relation to the AFLW.
So let’s focus on what the NRL is doing now.
In the next couple of weeks, NSWRL will introduce under 16’s and 18’s representative programs for women. Such competitions are planned to be rolled out not just in NSW, but also in QLD.
According to Todd, these programs are a first in the history of the sport and will align exactly with the male competitions. This is one of the first steps in creating a pathway for young women and putting a system in place to develop elite talent.
There is also work being done behind the scenes and taking some key lessons from what other sports have done, particularly around injury management. Injuries were an issue in the AFLW – we must learn from that competition and from our current Jillaroos in terms of how to ensure the women that play rugby league are looked after both on and off the field.
In terms of next steps, the NRL is currently working on a strategy for NSW and QLD and Todd hopes to be in a position in the next 3-6 months to present that strategy and give some more guidance on timeframes going forward.
There are some people that worry that while the NRL works on creating a competition from the ground up that we will lose talent to other sports that provide professional opportunities now.
I’ve thought about this and it is not something I am concerned about.
The reality is that women that play sport at an elite level have had very limited opportunities to date to play sport professionally. In the past women have not played to be professional, they have played because they love their chosen sport. The tide has changed dramatically in the last two years and we should celebrate how far we have come in such a short space of time.
I truly believe that people pursue what they are passionate about and that if a young woman loves rugby league, she will continue to play rugby league despite an opportunity being available to become professional in another code.
One final comment.
There is tremendous interest at the moment from the general public about a women’s rugby league competition.
In an Australian sporting landscape with an AFLW competition, increased interest in the rugby sevens format following the Aussie Pearls’ gold medal performance at Rio, a new netball competition televised on Channel Nine, the W-League and Matildas, along with cricket in terms of participation and pay – there is an increased demand for women’s sport.
It’s one thing to be a person who demands that competitions be created and pathways be developed and something else entirely to be someone that throws your support completely behind the competitions being created and the pathways being developed.
I truly hope that every single person who is passionate about women playing rugby league channels that passion into supporting the Australian Jillaroos when they compete in the Rugby League World Cup in November this year.
This is a historic year for the Jillaroos in that this year’s World Cup will be the first time that the men’s and women’s competitions will be played alongside each other. The Jillaroos are the only Australian team that will be playing games in Sydney with the Kangaroos playing in other parts of Australia.
I think it would be an extremely powerful demonstration to the NRL that there is an appetite for a women’s competition if the Jillaroos were to run out in front of a sold-out crowd at Southern Cross Group Stadium.
And while I want more than anyone for a competition to be established as soon as possible, we now know more about the process in place and the grassroots approach being taken.
I’ll continue to channel my focus to advocate for women in rugby league and being part of the groundswell of support which helps set up pathways so we can begin developing the next generation of Jillaroos, starting now.