Financial leg-up a big deal for elite female rugby league players
NSW Rugby League has taken a massive step towards ensuring its female players are rewarded and committed to the code.
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A FORMAL women’s rugby league competition may still be a couple of years away, but NSW Rugby League has taken a massive step towards ensuring its female players are rewarded and committed to the code.
All 30 of NSWRL’s women’s Origin pathways players will now have official contracts with the organisation, which includes match payments for the interstate challenge as well as a daily allowance when in camps.
NSWRL general manager of football Barrie-Jon Mather said it’s acknowledgment of the increased demand on female players and ensures they are rewarded for their time and commitment.
“Probably over the last 12 months we were looking at ways we can reward them,” Mather said.
“We’re asking a lot more of them now, so the program isn’t just turn up and play the game, it’s a program all year.
“We needed some way of recognising that commitment that the girls put into it.”
Except for the match payment amount, which for the women will be $2000, the female contracts are the same as the men’s.
Women’s players will have to adhere to the code of conduct, complete marketing and promotion obligations, and achieve certain training and playing goals to be eligible for representation.
Those goals include appearances in local competitions as part of the plan to grow the women’s game from the grassroots to have the depth to support a formalised competition.
But contracted players do not have to commit exclusively to rugby league. In fact, they are encouraged to pursue other sports if possible.
“They are free to do whatever they want,” Mather said.
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“In terms of being selected for the (NSW) team to play (the interstate challenge), there is a selection criteria for that.
“They have to have played in 50 per cent of the games that they were available for throughout the year in their local women’s premier competition.”
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