Junior playing numbers are on the up in NSW

[lucky 7]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/junior-numbers-surge-in-tigers-dragons-heartland-areas-20210729-p58e4m.html

[Futtocks]

1 hour ago, lucky 7 said:

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/junior-numbers-surge-in-tigers-dragons-heartland-areas-20210729-p58e4m.html

Very good news for the Maroons.

 

[The Rocket]

3 hours ago, lucky 7 said:

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/junior-numbers-surge-in-tigers-dragons-heartland-areas-20210729-p58e4m.html

Really stoked about this, Dave Trodden seems like a smart operator. really getting on board with the idea that there are many different forms of League to get kids and people involved, whether they come to the tackle version later on is up to them, but you`ve got a much greater chance if they are at least playing some version of League in the meantime. And of course are much more likely to be supporters of the game, for all the different crazy reasons that kids often use for picking a team.

Fumbleball was miles ahead of League with kids participation for twenty years, even though it must be a god-awful game for kids to play, but the fumbleball bosses knew the importance of getting kids in early. Seems like it has finally dawned on League HQ we`ve got a lot to offer if done right.

It mentions Group 3 in the increased kids participation rates, that`s where I live. The fumbleball posts that appeared in our town the last couple of years in time for the football season didn`t reappear this year. Not enough kids signed up obviously, you bloody beauty.

[unapologetic pedant]

9 hours ago, The Rocket said:

 The fumbleball posts that appeared in our town the last couple of years in time for the football season didn`t reappear this year. 

[The Rocket]

On 04/08/2021 at 05:32, lucky 7 said:

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/junior-numbers-surge-in-tigers-dragons-heartland-areas-20210729-p58e4m.html

Following on from the good news south of the border.

LOCAL LEAGUE COMES BACK TO LIFE

Rugby league is booming in Queensland, with the state recording its highest participation numbers in six years.

The Queensland Rugby League has recorded 62,330 participants this year, making it the state’s leading sport for 2021.

QRL managing director Robert Moore will depart his role next month and said it was a great result for the game after last year was wiped out due to Covid.

“We’ve had our challenges, some of which have been well publicised, but what needs to be celebrated is the joy the game has brought to the majority, and the unique opportunities that many participants have embraced as part of their rugby league journey,” he said.

This is the highest level of participation in the last six years, recognising that there is also an additional section of participants who are not captured in this data but play in school or diversity and inclusion events.”

The largest growth in playing participation was in the 13 to 18 years age group (six per cent increase).

Senior participation (19 and older) also increased three per cent compared to 2019, with 14,970 registrations. The Toowoomba, Roma, Mount Isa, Townsville and Gold Coast regions recorded some excellent growth results.

Really great news, lot of positivity around League over here at the moment.

 

 

 

 

[unapologetic pedant]

1 hour ago, The Rocket said:

Rugby league is booming in Queensland, with the state recording its highest participation numbers in six years.

This figure was posted on their Facebook page a couple of weeks back. All the attached comments were along the lines of "Great news, - but no thanks to the QRL". Followed by a litany of grass roots grumbles at QRL failings.

Anecdotal of course, but if only partially reflective, they indicate the figure could be higher still with a more effective governing body.

As far as I`m aware there is no League Tag in QLD, which is remiss to put it mildly in the context of challenges from sports perceived as less dangerous.

Superficial observation suggests Polynesian migration from NZ as a major factor in the growth, particularly on the Gold Coast.

[The Rocket]

27 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

This figure was posted on their Facebook page a couple of weeks back. All the attached comments were along the lines of "Great news, - but no thanks to the QRL". Followed by a litany of grass roots grumbles at QRL failings.

Anecdotal of course, but if only partially reflective, they indicate the figure could be higher still with a more effective governing body.

As far as I`m aware there is no League Tag in QLD, which is remiss to put it mildly in the context of challenges from sports perceived as less dangerous.

Superficial observation suggests Polynesian migration from NZ as a major factor in the growth, particularly on the Gold Coast.

Yes I`m really torn about the bloke who runs Qld League, Bruce Hatcher, on the one hand he`s bought in the PNG Hunters and soon their u`20`s and Pacific Trieze probably next year and then I hear stories like the one you`re saying and other things where I just wished he`d ######-off and die. I think he`s over 80 so I assume you wouldn`t mind me saying that, as I gather from what you posted on another thread (re covid ),that means he`s expendable.

[unapologetic pedant]

1 hour ago, The Rocket said:

 I think he`s over 80 so I assume you wouldn`t mind me saying that, as I gather from what you posted on another thread (re covid ),that means he`s expendable.

Ever so slight non sequitur from my espousal of a more rational approach to the pandemic. If I`m fortunate enough to reach 80, I will regard myself as expendable, if that means not expecting the lives and livelihoods of younger people to be devastated just to keep me ticking over a bit longer.

Back on topic. The Auckland RL never publish figures, but just cursorily totting up all the teams and grades, I would reckon their numbers compare favourably with most of the junior leagues in Sydney. Worth remembering when so many people seem to think RL barely exists in NZ.

[unapologetic pedant]

For Women in League round the NSWRL have broken down some of the increased female participation rates in some of the junior leagues.

Balmain 156 (2019) - 288 (2021)

Central Coast 434 - 849

Cronulla 1018 - 1632

Illawarra 1170 -1406

Manly 201 -350

North Sydney 115 - 388

St. George 84 -223

South Coast 960 - 1324

There are similar rises across NSW Country groups from varying base levels.

A large proportion, probably a majority, will be League Tag players. The Cronulla JRL figure is the most telling. It was in the Shire that most of the investment went when Monarch Blues Tag was launched. If Balmain, Manly, North Sydney, St. George, could receive the same funding and return similar results, it could not only revitalize recently underperforming junior leagues, but also turn League Tag into a major female sport in Sydney.

I saw a tweet earlier this year from Netball Australia reporting drops in participation. A spokeswoman cited competition from "the Rugby codes". I suspect the new challenge to Netball is virtually all from Rugby League, predominantly in the form of League Tag.

[Graham]

4 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

For Women in League round the NSWRL have broken down some of the increased female participation rates in some of the junior leagues.

Balmain 156 (2019) - 288 (2021)

Central Coast 434 - 849

Cronulla 1018 - 1632

Illawarra 1170 -1406

Manly 201 -350

North Sydney 115 - 388

St. George 84 -223

South Coast 960 - 1324

There are similar rises across NSW Country groups from varying base levels.

A large proportion, probably a majority, will be League Tag players. The Cronulla JRL figure is the most telling. It was in the Shire that most of the investment went when Monarch Blues Tag was launched. If Balmain, Manly, North Sydney, St. George, could receive the same funding and return similar results, it could not only revitalize recently underperforming junior leagues, but also turn League Tag into a major female sport in Sydney.

I saw a tweet earlier this year from Netball Australia reporting drops in participation. A spokeswoman cited competition from "the Rugby codes". I suspect the new challenge to Netball is virtually all from Rugby League, predominantly in the form of League Tag.

 

Not wishing to slate another sport too much I would say that my experience of watching netball when I had family members taking part was not particularly enjoyable. The little allowed contact and the enthusiastic and regular use of the whistle to stop start games was very frustrating. Maybe just the games I saw, up to county level here in the UK.

I'm surprised netball is still popular when there's basketball as a near alternative, let alone RL in various forms.

[unapologetic pedant]

17 hours ago, Graham said:

 

Not wishing to slate another sport too much I would say that my experience of watching netball when I had family members taking part was not particularly enjoyable. The little allowed contact and the enthusiastic and regular use of the whistle to stop start games was very frustrating. Maybe just the games I saw, up to county level here in the UK.

I'm surprised netball is still popular when there's basketball as a near alternative, let alone RL in various forms.

Incessant interventions from umpires seem to be part of the furniture in netball. 

In that Commonwealth Games final, when England beat Australia, the girl scoring the winning goal had been given another go after she was deemed to have been fouled when she missed the first attempt. The TV didn`t even replay the supposed "foul", nobody seemed to think it mattered. England had won, that`s all we needed to know, everybody went nuts.

Can you imagine RL or Soccer commentators and fans just assuming the decisive call of a referee was valid without so much as a second look? Rather like it used to be in RU, blind faith seems essential to taking netball seriously.

On the subject of the dramatic rise in female NSWRL participation, at the moment there is a generation of mothers more reluctant than those of yesteryear to let their children play RL. It`s been a factor in recent declining playing numbers.

This should change over the coming years as more of the current Tag and Tackle players become mothers. Consequently, resources directed to female participation in all forms of RL should prove a very shrewd investment. In the UK sadly, particularly in relation to League Tag, I still detect no recognition of the value in female participation to the future health of the game.

[The Rocket]

1 hour ago, unapologetic pedant said:

On the subject of the dramatic rise in female NSWRL participation, at the moment there is a generation of mothers more reluctant than those of yesteryear to let their children play RL. It`s been a factor in recent declining playing numbers.

This should change over the coming years as more of the current Tag and Tackle players become mothers. Consequently, resources directed to female participation in all forms of RL should prove a very shrewd investment. In the UK sadly, particularly in relation to League Tag, I still detect no recognition of the value in female participation to the future health of the game.

Yes it was a point that had eluded me I admit, it`s just not about the current participation of women and girls but about them being more amenable to allowing their own children to play. The beauty is too of course it could be exponential.

If done in conjunction with the various low or non-contact versions it could prove very effective one might think, of influencing that vital decision parents make, which sport do I feel comfortable with letting the children play.

[unapologetic pedant]

47 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

If done in conjunction with the various low or non-contact versions it could prove very effective one might think, of influencing that vital decision parents make, which sport do I feel comfortable with letting the children play.

The point I kept making on the dedicated thread about League Tag, as distinct from Oztag, is that it`s run by junior RL clubs and leagues. So those mothers who play or have played are more likely to be members with their children involved in the club as part of the family`s social life. Thus, far from stopping them, they are more likely to actively facilitate their offspring`s participation.