Cronulla Junior Rugby League club takes prestigious honour as Australia’s biggest junior club

A proud family club in the Cronulla Junior League added the prestigious honour of being named the biggest junior league club in Australia. Here’s the secret to their booming success.

Gymea is the biggest club in Australia for 2025. Picture: Contributed

A regular meeting between the Cronulla Junior League and its clubs was set to be a run of the mill one for the Gymea Gorillas.

That was until they received the shock news that they were now Australia’s biggest junior league club.

With 70 teams on their books, the Gorillas have the most registered participants of any club across the country, news that president Jordan Moyle is incredibly proud of.

“We’re very proud of that,” he said.

“We try to remain very family-oriented. We try to look after our juniors as much as our seniors.

“There are great people involved that make the club what it is. We’ve experienced 17 per cent growth in the last 12 months.

“Good word is what will bring people to the club and the things we do, we try and go above and beyond.

Gymea has focused attention on both seniors and juniors in a bid to retain player numbers. Picture: Adam Wrightson

“We support things outside of league like charities, and get involved with Indigenous, Anzac and Women In League rounds. There’s a great sense of community involved, parents buy into it and it creates a good culture.”

Gymea is one of four Cronulla-region clubs (along with Como-Jannali, Engadine and De La Salle) in the top 10 in terms of participant numbers, with the Penrith region filling the other six spots.

“To have four out of the top 10 in terms of size come from the shire, it’s a real feather in the cap,” Cronulla Junior League general manager Chris Bannerman said.

“As much as the district puts a lot of effort into digital marketing and recruitment, it comes down to the clubs at the coalface doing the right thing and providing that great experience.”

It’s no secret that the female divisions are the fastest growing across the country, and that’s no different for Gymea.

“Female participants make up about 30 per cent of our club now,” Moyle said.

“We have 26 female teams and we’re seeing growth from the women’s tag transitioning into tackle.

“We have an U9s and U12s all girls tackle team, and we’re hoping to build on that each year.”

That growth is experienced across the region, with Bannerman confirming female participants make up 35-36 per cent of all registered players (up from 32-33 per cent in 2024).

The retention rate in the district was the highest in the state last season, reducing the churn of players leaving the game.

It’s an encouraging statistic as regions across the state look to combat falling numbers among boys once reaching their higher teenage years.

Originally published as Cronulla Junior Rugby League club takes prestigious honour as Australia’s biggest junior club