This week at @LadiesWhoLeague we have been thinking about the role of women in the NRL and how we can both encourage and promote the participation of women at all levels of the game.
Today I have been thinking a lot about game day.
As you all know I love Rugby League. There is nothing that I love more than attending a full Parramatta Stadium and cheering on my team. I often get swept up in the atmosphere, the cheering, the bright lights, the roar of the crowd and of course the passion shown by my fellow supporters.
However, I feel like game day is still a very male dominated arena - illustrated by the surprise on people's face when they hear I am an NRL supporter. In a sport perceived to be dominated by males, a 24 year old lawyer often stands out in the crowd.
I no longer want to be perceived as unusual for an NRL supporter. I want more women to become involved and to share in the joy that I receive from the game, week to week.
Part of this is about getting more women involved at all levels of the game and celebrating the contributions of those women who are already involved. I wrote a story on this earlier this week and you can check it out here.
The next step is getting more women involved in game day. How do we do this?
I feel this links nicely with the story I wrote earlier this week about making women more present in NRL and celebrating the contributions of women at all levels of the game. We need to make women visible and a positive and a meaningful part of the way game day is conducted.
I feel this can be done in a series of ways.
I have attended many NRL games at different stadiums throughout Sydney (it's my hope to go interstate next year). I am yet to hear a female ground announcer. There are women out there just as passionate and committed to the NRL as men - it would be fantastic to see a woman involved in ground announcing and getting the crowd involved and hyped ready for the upcoming game.
In both the EPL and the A-League women are involved in officiating. This I feel would also be a very big step for the NRL. There is no lack of women involved in officiating. In 2012, Kasey Badger became the first female referee in our Toyota Cup competition. What a sensational achievement. Whilst Kasey should certainly not be promoted to the NRL simply based on her gender - her commitment to the cause and the many hours she puts into her training suggest that it will only be a matter of time before we see her in the NRL. You can read more about Kasey here.
One of my favourite parts of game day is half time when the kids often come on and get the opportunity to run around the field. It is absolutely delightful to see such young children with a love for the game and the enthusiasm they have for running onto the same field that they see their heroes running onto week in and week out.
Here's another idea - why not have women playing rugby league as a pre-cursor to the main game. Catharine Lumby has suggested this also happen at State of Origin. My question is why not? Australia has some tremendously talented touch football teams who are not getting the recognition that they deserve. The Australian women's touch football team has won seven consecutive World Cup Events and has won every Trans Tasman series since 1986. Unfortunately, these women get zero funding and are unknown to most Australians - a tremendous shame. These women need to be celebrated and recognised for the tremendous contributions they are making to Australian sport.
I would love to hear all your thoughts - how can we get more women involved at game day?
The next piece I'll write will focus on NRL 'culture' and whether that has an impact.
Love,
@LadiesWhoLeague
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