Queensland Country Rugby Union Championships to be held in Rockhampton

A peak rugby union competition will call Rockhampton home for the next two years with hundreds of players and their families from across the state to descend on the Beef Capital for the event.

Cr Cherie Rutherford, Mayor Tony Williams, Alenna Whipp, Simone Peri, Tournament Director Ben Wiltshire and Cr Shane Latcham are all excited the Queensland Country Rugby Union Championships will be held in Rockhampton for the next two years.

For the next two years, hundreds of rugby union players will descend on Rockhampton, the new host of the Queensland Country Rugby Union Championships.

Up to 800 players and their families will visit the Beef Capital for this year’s event between June 30 and July 2 at Victoria Park and will return again next year.

The event will be contested by teams from under-13 right up to open levels for both men and women from across the state.

The championships is another major sporting event to add to the list of others hosted in Rockhampton following the announcement the Queensland Touch Junior State Cup would be held in Rockhampton for the next 10 years, which was announced in October.

Rugby Capricornia secretary Ben Wiltshire said it was “really exciting” to have the competition in Rockhampton.

“This is the peak Country Rugby Union event in Queensland and one of the peak events for the Australian calendar,” he said.

“We’ll have juniors and seniors competing for Queensland Country Rugby Union selection right here in Rockhampton from under-13s right through to open men and women.

“For players, it’s a fantastic opportunity, they get to play on their home turf, they don’t have to travel, they can play in their own environment and in front of their family and friends and represent their region.

“We’ve been pushing hard to have these peak events here in Rockhampton to promote both rugby union and the region as a sporting destination.”

Simone Peri and Alenna Whipp, who both play rugby union, said they were excited for the event to be hosted in Rockhampton.

“I’m really excited, it’s such a small town but we’ve got a lot of talent in Rocky and for a lot of people to come and see that’s here is pretty good,” Ms Peri said.

“Everybody brings their own kind of skills or if you’re not comfortable with something the girls aren’t afraid to speak up or help out.”

“I’m super stoked, it’s really exciting not only to play on our home fields but to show the younger kids what they’ve got to strive for,” Ms Whipp said.

“The culture the girls have and the excitement they bring when they have the ball in their hands, just to see what they can do is pretty phenomenal, there’s so many girls out here that have so much talent.”

Advance Rockhampton acting executive manager Zac Garven said the event would bring a “significant boost” to the local economy.

“Rockhampton’s Sporting Destination Guide has again put Rocky on the Radar as a destination of choice among state and national sporting peak bodies. This document provides a comprehensive overview of our sporting facilities, infrastructure and experiences to make an easy decision-making process for event managers,” he said.

“According to Tourism Research Australia, visitors spend over $28 billion per year on domestic travel and this event is another way to increase visitation to our region, fill our hotel rooms and increase spend in our tourism and hospitality businesses.”

Rockhampton region Mayor Tony Williams said events such as the championships evoked a sense of pride in the community.

“We are looking forward to welcoming the competition’s players and families to our region and showing them all of the great things you can do when you explore Rockhampton,” he said.