Queensland junior leagues to trial new rules in an effort to grow participation

Rugby league is about to undergo one of the most radical overhauls in its 110-year history and it will happen right here in Queensland. This is why.

The Entrance Tigers v Kincumber Colts u6.Junior Rugby League Saturday 2nd June 2018 at Mackillop. Oval Sth Kincumber.(AAP Image/Sue Graham)

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AS a sport, rugby league is about to undergo one of the most radical overhauls in its 110-year history.

And it will happen right here in Queensland with the Sunshine State to become a testing ground for some controversial rule changes and philosophical shifts aimed at taking rugby league to a new stratosphere.

Rusted-on league officials and parents are already providing criticism and resistance but worrying data shows rugby league lost a staggering 40,000 participants nationwide last year.

Of that figure, 10,000 kids quit because of a “negative experience” over team selection issues and a lack of encouragement and involvement in games.

The NRL’s billion-dollar broadcast deal is evidence the sport is not close to dying but, at grassroots level, there are signs of decay.

ARE JUNIOR CHANGES A GOOD IDEA?

Changes have been made to try and boost junior numbers. AAP Image/Sue Graham.

The code’s most respected and respected figures, such as Penrith coach Ivan Cleary and former Queensland Origin star Ben Ikin, have decided it is time to act.

For the past 18 months, the ARL Commission has presided over a code-wide strategy, formalised into a document called the Player Development Framework, to regenerate grassroots football and save kids from quitting the sport.

Change is never easy. But the hope is that any short-term pain will deliver long-term gain.

From next season, under-6s competitions in south-east Queensland will not allow kids to tackle. They will play Tag League, similar to OzTag where youngsters can get a feel for the game without the fear of being crunched by an army of defenders.

Kids won’t play in grand finals until the under 13s. AAP Image/Sue Graham)

As part of the TackleSafe program, the six-year-olds will undergo specific tackle training for 12 months to teach them to defend safely. Their coaches will also be up-skilled on tackle technique before the game’s traditional contact form begins in the under-7s.

South-east Queensland competitions in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Ipswich will also trial the axing of finals and grand-finals before the age of 13.

From next season, the under-6s to under-12s will play simply for fun. Scorelines will be kept but there will be no competition points ladders - and no grand-finals to determine premiership winners.

The shake-up is a profound shift that cuts to the core of rugby league’s very cultural essence, but research across sports globally shows excess competition - and adult pressures - are killing junior sport.

Can junior numbers rise again? Image AAP/Mark Brake.

“It is time to re-educate adults in our game - it’s time to give the game back to the kids,” says NRL strategy and projects chief James Hinchey.

“From 2016 to 2017, we surveyed the families who left rugby league. We got about 5500 responses and 25 per cent said their kids left the sport because of a negative experience.

“Fear of injury was the second reason at 15 per cent.

“So the drop-off in registrations is less about danger and more about the experience.

“The No.1 reason why kids play sport is to have fun and play with their mates.”

Hinchey believes the TackleSafe program will better equip grassroots league players for future contact.

“We aren’t removing the tackle completely, we are actually prioritising it,” he explained.

“Our plan is for every six-year-old coming into the game to learn how to tackle safely.

“As a game, we will be equipping kids with the knowledge, tools and confidence to tackle safely and be tackled and that enhances the experience for everyone.

“We will have accredited people teaching coaches and kids the TackleSafe program.

“We’ve been on the ground throughout 2018 and we’ve had fantastic feedback.”

The TackleSafe program is aimed at helping kids deal with rugby league’s physicality.

The scrapping of grand finals before the teenage years is particularly divisive. But there is a dark side to winning and the pursuit of junior premierships.

“The environment has become excessively competitive,” Hinchey says.

“We are seeing some clubs and coaches attempting to recruit players as young as 10 from other clubs to try and win premierships.

“It’s ridiculous.

“The game can provide greater lessons than just winning tropies.

“Learning how to win and lose respectfully, being durable and adaptable, having the better kids helping the less talented kids, the sense of community … that’s what rugby league can and shoulder deliver for children and families.

“It’s a big change, but under this proposal, we just want kids to have fun and take the pressure away from them.”

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