Why the Women’s Rugby League World Cup should come to Brisbane

Last week the Rugby League International Federation announced the draw of the 2017 World Cup, to be co-hosted by Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

While the draw takes games to league-starved cities such as Perth, Darwin and Hamilton, most of the media spotlight has unfortunately, and predictably, focussed on the perceived lack of games in Sydney.

Though the harbour city will still get two games involving heavyweights Australia and England, as well as the Lebanese Cedars, it was slated to receive much more.

Reported by Phil Rothfield of the Daily Telegraph, the RLIF intended to reward NSW with multiple RLWC matches including two pool games and a quarter-final, as well as the entire Women’s Rugby League World Cup (WRLWC).

After the NSW Government withdrew its bid, the Women’s World Cup, including the champion Jillaroos, were left in the lurch. The RLIF is now in a fix, how to put on a tournament which is unlikely to draw five-digit crowds without incurring a cost on the organisation or the athletes?

The answer lies in the official RLWC draw. Brisbane, one of the most fanatical rugby league cities in the world, and host of the final and a semi-final, will not get a single match until over a month after the Opening Ceremony.

The 3.5 million people who call South East Queensland home will be watching the Cup on their televisions with no way to see it live apart from two matches which would almost certainly have already sold out.

Home to a multitude of boutique and historic stadia all within driving distance in a city that is rugby league-mad, Brisbane provides the perfect opportunity to host an inexpensive and successful Women’s World Cup.

South east Queensland’s boutique stadia range in capacity from just a few thousand at Suzuki Stadium and Davies Park, to 5000 at the historic Kougari Oval and North Ipswich Reserve, home to the current NRL State Champions. Then there’s Toowoomba’s Clive Berghofer Stadium and Redcliffe’s newly reopened Dolphin Stadium at a capacity of 9000 and finally Kawana’s Sunshine Coast Stadium, which has a stated capacity of 12,000.

Burleigh’s Pizzey Park and the inner-city Davies Park in West End could also host games. All of these stadia are within an hour or two’s drive of Brisbane CBD, meaning the only travel cost would be getting the teams to and from Brisbane.

Each of these stadiums, with the exception of Clive Berghofer, regularly host television broadcasts due to Channel Nine’s coverage of the Intrust Super Cup and would have the experience to do so for the WRLWC.

As an extra perk, many of these stadia are owned by rugby league clubs, who should jump at the opportunity to have their grounds on the international stage by offering incentives. Some of these clubs, such as the Burleigh Bears, host women’s teams with strong support from local businesses who may be interested in sponsoring a World Cup fixture in their area.

Queensland’s mega-councils such as Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane City also hold enough economic clout to bid outright for games, further cutting costs. Finally, hosting the WRLWC in Brisbane would also mean that its Final could be held at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on the same night as the World Cup Final without the need for any travel on the women’s part.

Women’s rugby league may not be as big as the men’s, but it is growing fast. The Jillaroos and Kiwiferns are now being televised, with growth in participation reaching as high as 300 per cent in some places.

The Papua New Guinea Ragiannas will represent their country in a World Cup for the first time next year, while the first women’s match was played in Fiji just a few months ago. To foster this growth, we need a tournament that exhibits the game while not placing a financial burden on players or eating into rugby league’s small pool of funds for international development.

If Brisbane’s historic clubs, strong councils and local businesses get on board, the region could put on quite a show.