In March this year, the Australian Rugby League Commission made an announcement about its planned expansion of the NRL Women’s premiership.
With four new teams set to be included by the 2024 season and the introduction of a salary cap system which would increase average salaries by 28 per cent, the growth seemed consistent with the NRL’s approach so far; slow and steady.
But last week, Peter V’landys spoke about his ambition to grow faster, with each NRL club to have an NRLW team within five years.
To be extremely clear, that would mean the introduction of 11 new teams in five years.
Whil I love the ambition for the women’s game, V’landys’ vision concerns me.
Let’s begin with talent. I’ll be blunt, we don’t have the talent to support 11 new teams in five years.
It was my understanding that the talent pool was one of the reasons for the slow growth in the first place, to ensure that the competition would have depth before looking to add width. That approach seems to have been completely thrown out the window.
Why?
The importance of a sustainable competition is one of the reasons I think the next teams introduced should be from areas where pathways exist, that aren’t being fully taken advantage of yet, like North Queensland or Canberra.
Some of you may think it’s a bit rich of me to suggest putting a pause on the introduction of Sydney teams given that my team, the Parramatta Eels, already has an NRLW team.
But if it’s one of the reasons you have enjoyed the quality of the NRLW so much, why would you want to dilute the Sydney talent-base which is already servicing the St George Illawarra Dragons, Parramatta and Sydney Roosters.
(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
This year, we saw the Newcastle Knights progress through the season without a win. It’s not a criticism of the Knights, they are a new team and have established some important building blocks. But with a team made up of players mostly from New Zealand and North Queensland, it’s clear that the development of the pathway still needs some work.
I also wonder why there is such a focus on ensuring that every NRL club has a men’s team and an NRLW team. Are we looking to the AFL and following their approach?
I adore the AFLW and the opportunity it has given women to play Aussie rules at an elite level. But there have been decisions made which have resulted in great opportunity and great challenge over the last couple of years; some of them pandemic-related, and others related to such fast expansion.
Rugby league is its own sport and should be learning from the AFLW and the challenges it has had with rapid expansion, not seek to emulate it.
Expansion is always such a hot topic in the NRL. Why not use the women’s game to expand into new areas? Sydney already has too many clubs and if you started the competition again today, you would not have so many in that city (particularly when couple have shown no interest in having a women’s team). The NRLW should look to history but not be completely bound by it.
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
My other question is around pay. The ARLC announcement in March has made some moves in this space, but there is still a lot of work to do.
If we want to introduce another 11 teams, which will mean extending the season by 11 more rounds, then we are going to need to make a lot of progress in the pay space in a very short period of time. And it’s going to need to be for a lot more players.
At the moment, with only six teams involved, the season is relatively short. It still significantly impacts the players’ ability to work, study and manage caring responsibilities, but compared to other national sporting competitions, it is not as long.
If the season gets longer, we need to pay these women appropriately. It is not okay that these women exist in financial insecurity just for our entertainment.
There was also some appetite from V’landys for the men and women to play in double headers. Again, while this may work in some situations, the world has changed dramatically and people don’t have the time to spend six hours at the footy on a weekend to watch two full games.
There are more pressing issues for the NRLW right now, like ensuring our players compete at appropriate facilities. There have been instances during the season where the players had to line up to go to the bathroom before the games because the change rooms only had two toilet cubicles and a trough.
At the semi-finals at Leichhardt Oval, the Roosters and Dragons agreed to share dressing rooms so four cubicles could be going at once.
When we expect elite performance from these women, these cannot be the conditions we expect them to play in. Slow and steady has been winning the race so far.
It’s unclear to me why we are moving away from a winning formula.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
Hugh_96 The challenge with any level of expansion is the disruption of it. Can't be avoided. If you go too slow then the new sides are too far off the pace. Early days there were some clubs that got in........due to overall profile rather than presence in the womens footy domain. My club North Melbourne had to wait way too long to get in - - and when they did; because of a long ongoing relationship with the Melbourne University Womens program - many of the girls/ladies who had been through that program up and left the AFLW clubs they'd been drafted to so as to return to the group they'd started out with. A clear argument for why North should've been involved sooner - based on merit of involvement. As far as the NRL goes - Peter V'landys is NOT someone I respect. He's such a "Me too" type person. Because Melbourne has the Melbourne Cup and Spring Carnival.......he wants it too. Because the AFLW is going great - he wants it too. You've only got to look at his comments earlier in the week about the NRL having exhausted all revenue streams and looking to the US?!?!? Not sure what he's smoking. I wouldn't be hitching my wagon to his horse.
Hugh_96
Roar Pro
Munro Mike - Not being negative about AFL/ AFLW, they are doing a great job. When AFL set a goal they are all in to achieve it. AFL is the biggest fish (apart from probably cricket) in this small pond of Australia. Agree they don’t have the $$ they had but I would say they have more $$ than the other footy codes. There is no doubt terrific upside for AFLW, I have no AFL expertise but did hear I’m sure it was an AFLW coach &/or journo saying they shouldn’t be expanding so quickly. That was just my 2cents worth.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
Mate - I'm not sure you realise the absolute world of difference in female participation between AFL and NRL. (granted - NRL can draw upon 'touch' players). The AFLW base has most certainly been growing which is why on registered participants that AFL nationally has largely caught up with soccer. Soccer got the jump on the other codes in the 2000s; by virtue of female participation. The challenge for the NRL will be that Sydney and N-NSW are the heartland of soccer in Australia - - and the ship has arguably sailed already on both Soccer and AFLW participation in that market and the NRLW is coming from a fair way back and also has to compete (but can be a symbiotic relationship) with Rugby 7s in the Olympics.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#Hugh_96 Mate - when the AFL started down the path with exhibition matches between a "Melbourne" and "Western Bulldogs" sides - - little did they anticipate the rapid growth that that enabled. The AFL never understood that there was the desire to play - so many girls didn't play because there was no pathway and those that did; played with the boys until around age 13/14. The participation growth at grass roots clearly surprised the AFL - the initial announcement for an AFLW start had to be brought forward and while some negative types worry about the direct cost; there's been a massive direct and indirect value add. The AFL $$$......no one has $$$ post Covid. That's sucked up all the reserves. The AFL $$$; much is drawn from the far better (than the NRL) club memberships/attendences. Both get lucrative broadcast rights. The marketing/comms - yes - the AFL has built a department (pre Covid) designed to generate content and capability (eye to the future). Minimal negativity. Well - - far from it. The general marketplace is over run with AFL commentators and commenters; and there's plenty of negativity. You just need to see the negative media these last couple of days around AFL umpires and the dissent issue. It's like politics - - the media are in it for themselves and their owners and nothing sells like controversy and negativity.
Rob
Guest
Would the Roosters field a competitive team if they had to rely on local talent? If local talent had an opportunity to play and stay local would they leave?
matth
Roar Guru
Yes but if you move from 4 to 16 it could be catastrophic to the survival of the comp, whereas if you add two a year, you increase supply at a manageable level, both for finding talent, but also for paying that talent given they will have to play for a much longer season, travel more, etc and will have less time to earn money elsewhere.
Dionysus
Guest
There are only too many teams in Sydney if those teams are preventing expansion into new more lucrative markets. That situation does not seem to exist and certainly not if we consider the possibility of using a conference style system.
Dionysus
Guest
There are definitely enough players to mount a 16, 17, 18 team womens competition. The problem will be quality at least in the early stages. The big thing about expansion and the talent pool is that it is a classic Chicken and Egg situation. There is only enough talent for 4 teams therefore any potential new talent goes off to do something else so then there is only enough talent for 4 teams. But you break that mould and create sixteen teams and suddenly you have more talent than you expected maybe not 16 teams worth but a lot more than 4. Then a few years down the track and suddenly you have enough talent for 16 teams but not 17 because those others have gone doing something else. It is simple Supply and Demand.
catcat
Roar Rookie
I went to the games in Newcastle this year and really enjoyed it. It might look like lots of Sydney teams but is it? -Parramatta - covers western Sydney for now -Roosters - lots of Central Coast Roosters connections to that squad...just move them there or consider it as Sydney -Central Coast Roosters -St George - Illawarra - Southern Sydney down to the south coast -Newcastle - north NSW -Gold Coast -Brisbane **new teams** Canberra & North Queensland Not sure where to expand after that. Warriors deserve a spot if they want one.
Hugh_96
Roar Pro
The fortunate thing is the AFL has the $$$ to ensure it has long term success even if all their AFLW teams are not competitive in the short term. Not just the $$$ either, they have a huge marketing/ Comms team, plus influence in the media. As a consequence there will be minimal negativity no matter what happens.
M20
Guest
There's already too many Sydney teams in the NRL, why does the NRLW need to have the same problem? If they are serious about investing in the women's comp, go to areas that don't have an NRL team and invest in a NRLW team there
Rob
Guest
Come on Mary. Do actually think any consideration was given to North Queensland? Brisbane v Sydney was the initial intent so Broncos and Roosters it would be. I’m pretty sure the Cowboys were ready as soon as they announced a NRLW format. They have been knocked back by the NRL Exclusion is a pathetic form bullying. I hate to tell you how SL started.
3 R M
Roar Rookie
Cronulla definitely got the rough end having every thing in place with regards to players and pathways. I thought they were ahead of the game and were unrewarded for their foresight.
Adam
Roar Guru
The AFLW will get to the top of the hill first, but will they fall off? I also think they expanded too quickly and would agree with Mary that sustainable growth means the base needs to be built first before the ceiling
matth
Roar Guru
I would love to see the NRLW not tied 100% to existing men's teams. For a start, some of those clubs won;t really have a feel for or care about how to support and deliver a successful women's team. Why can't an existing club just partner with the Gold Stars, put in some cash but let the existing infrastructure and management run the team?
3 R M
Roar Rookie
Gold Stars have everything in place so I hope they give them a shot, as we were knocked back this year , supplied 8 or 9 players just from our current squad this season gone , made the grand final in Queenslands women's comp last season , have large pathways and some established players, high performance centre, sponsors coaches and the will to make it happen Matth. The state competition in Queensland is building so the rush for expansion could be about content for the NRL. Qrl has a different streaming service.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Matt , there really aren't enough players. I watch quite a few NRLW games and imo there are already quite a few players not up to speed. New sides will bring I more, The other thing is the really top talent will be spread like boarding-house butter. The quality 9f the sport must drop. Now I can watch the under 6s play league but it wont ever be a sustainable professional competition. I hope I'm not saying that about the NRWL.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
But surely in a national comp , NRL central decide what they want and where they want it and then make it happen. If the NRL wanted a team in Betoota , they would get one.
Hugh_96
Roar Pro
My interest in NRLW is following the former 7s & 15s rugby women. But my 2 cents worth - V’Landys as CEO no doubt is just putting out a stretch goal, good on him. - Do all teams want (or can afford) to put a team in the NRLW, probably not. - There maybe enough players but how many want to go to the next level. In sport not everyone wants to become a professional - A former AFLW coach has come out & said the AFLW was expanding too quickly
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
These are very astute comments Mary. I thought the standard of NRLW this year was very good. We are risking the huge gains the female game has made with more teams. We don't need more teams. We need grass roots development. We need teams from areas that actually play RL . We need home and away for every team. Maybe just maybe we can find enough talent for an eight team comp, but 10 or 16 teams is ridiculous. Watch the viewer number wilt when the quality of games goes off a cliff. Dumbest comment ever from PVL.