Swans women soaring to big future

Maroochydore is celebrating one of its biggest years yet for the female rugby union program and there’s hopes format changes could grow the division even more.

Maroochydore Rugby Union club enjoyed its biggest year yet for the women's program.

Maroochydore is celebrating one of its biggest years yet for the female rugby union program and there's hopes format changes in coming years could grow the division even more.

After initially suffering a lack of numbers, in the space of two seasons, the Swans have surged into the frontrunners for women in rugby union.

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"Last year we weren't actually able to field a full senior women's team but this year by the end of season we had a squad of 21 players, which is quite a number for women's rugby," women and girls head coach Raylene Symons said

"In the girls program, when I took over as head coach in 2018, we just had 12 girls across a few divisions and now we've got nearly 40."

Maroochydore Rugby Union club enjoyed its biggest year yet for the women's program.

 

The Swans girls featured in the U15 and U17 grand finals, with an impressive 11 players also selected in the Stingrays Girls 7s.

The U15 girls won their decider.

"We're also growing and developing coaches, referees and young women who are going to come up and be leaders within the rugby community over coming years," Symons said.

Players Grace Wright, Keira Smith and Ella Shuttleworth have taken on coaching roles while Jess Ling completed her fourth year as a referee.

Adding to the big year, the club will also open its new female change rooms in coming weeks, thanks to federal and state government and local council grants.

Symons put the growth down to culture, coaching philosophy and a positive environment.

"The girls love it and they have fun," she said.

Maroochydore Rugby Union Club player and referee Jess Ling.

She was hopeful changes in the competition format could also boost playing ranks not just at Maroochydore but across the Sunshine Coast in coming years too.

"We are very keen to see in the junior girls that we have three divisions, although we are pushing to move age groups slightly," she said.

"At the moment, the way it works for girls rugby is that they can start playing in mixed teams in U6 up to U12.

"When they get to U13, in order to continue playing, they must go and get a medical review and be assessed as being physically capable of playing in U13 mixed against boys."

She said that was the only avenue through which to progress into the dedicated U15 girls side.

Although there was an U17 girls team, she said once they turned 18 the next step was directly into the senior women.

A step many aren't willing to make as a teenager.

"So, next season what we'd like to see, and I've spoken to a number of coaches around the Coast, is an U14 age group which will pick up those U13 girls coming out of the top end of (mixed) U12s," she said.

"As well as an U16 and an U18 (division).

"Schools have already gone to that and are playing in those age groups so it makes sense for the clubs to follow and have those age groups.

"We've also been talking about the possibility of introducing the equivalent of a colts, so probably an U20s as opposed to an U19s."

She said it was up to the Sunshine Coast Rugby Union board whether those changes could be implemented next year, or down the track.

"In 2008 to 2009 I moved up to the Coast and there were only three senior women's teams and certainly nothing for junior girls at that stage," Symons said.

"That was 11 years ago so it's not that long ago relatively but things are changing and moving quite rapidly now as we get that momentum and that swell of interest and we need to keep providing things for them."

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