The NRL NT has achieved a record number of registered participants after only three rounds of competition

AFTER only three rounds of competition the NRL NT has achieved a record number of registered participants across all grades of its competition

The NRL NT has achieved a record number of participants early in the 2021 season. Picture: Glenn Campbell

AFTER only three rounds of competition the NRL NT has achieved a record number of registered participants across all grades of its competition.

NRL NT general manager Nigel Roy was particularly pleased with the ever-growing participation numbers as the sport grows closer to its target of 2500 registered participants.

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“It’s fantastic. We’ve been working hard with our clubs who give tremendous support and the numbers are growing as a result,” Roy said.

“We’re absolutely blown away by the increases which is of about 25 per cent. It’s incredible and comes as a combination of a number of things coming together from facilities to initiatives.

“This is a great outcome for a city the size of Darwin and has already had a great impact in performance and culture.

“We’re only a couple of weeks into the season and there’s still plenty of time for potential participants to register with their local clubs and join what we call the greatest game of all.”

The growth of female participation in rugby league has inspired further growth in the league with an under-13s girls competition in development.

The National Women’s Championships have been a big stepping stone for the female game given aspiring athletes from across the country the chance to play on the national stage.

“It’s all about developing equal opportunities for all players,” Roy said.

“The nationals adds some more support to their game where we have some tremendous volunteers assembling teams and preparing them as best as they can.”

While programs such as TackleReady and League Tag under the NRL’s Player Development Framework has increasingly opened the sport up to younger players and age groups.

The NT government has played no small role in the growth of the sport in recent years investing $25m into the Territory Rugby League Stadium in the Marrara Sporting Complex.

Darwin playing host to top grade games from the NRL and the 2017 World Cup has only helped inspire the next generation of NT players.

And last month’s sellout game between Parramatta Eels and Brisbane Broncos at TIO Stadium is the most recent of such games.

“The support from the NT Government has been vital for the continued growth of our game,” Roy said.

“Without their investment in our facility and bringing premier games to the Territory we wouldn’t be having these numbers.”