The rise and rise of Rugby Union in Australia
Australian Rugby participation at an all-time high
March 08, 2006 - 11:18am
Story by: ARU
The number of people playing Rugby Union has reached an all-time high with more than 176,000 people now playing the game around Australia, an increase of 10,000 over the last 12 months.
The Australian Rugby Union released their official participation figures today, revealing an increase of nearly seven per cent in 2005, following on from a record ten per cent growth in 2004 after the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
Australia's Rugby-playing population has now almost doubled in the ten years since Rugby went professional in 1996.
Queensland can lay claim to half the national growth from last year, having welcomed an extra 5,000 players to their ranks, which has pushed their total player numbers to just under 50,000. It is the second year in a row that the QRU has enjoyed a growth rate of more than 11%.
One of the most encouraging results for Australian Rugby came out of the two states that bid for the right to host the new Super 14 team - both Victoria and Western Australia recorded a 23% increase in player numbers for the year.
ACT grew by more than 5,400 players, part of which can be attributed to the fact the NSW Far South Coast and Southern Inland Rugby Unions changed their affiliation from the NSW Rugby Union to the ACT Rugby Union.
As a result, NSW posted a net decline of 2.4% in players, but would have experienced a healthy increased if Southern NSW had remained under its jurisdiction.
"While the success of the Rugby World Cup would still have some residual effect, it is the hard work of the State Unions and the individual clubs that has generated this strong growth," ARU CEO and Managing Director Gary Flowers said.
"The thousands of volunteers around Australia who work tirelessly on Rugby committees can take a bow.
"Credit must also go to our EdRugby program and the state development officers who are running Walla Challenges and junior Rugby tournaments in schools around Australia.
"Registration for junior and senior Rugby is currently in full swing and we are looking forward to another strong season."
Burgs: Following the huge surge of support for Australia's newest Provincial Team, the Western Force, and the flow on increase of rugby supporters for the other Provinces, this article shows that the same effect is occurring on our playing fields as well.
2003 was a massive catalyst for the growth of the code in this country and with an increase in the profile of Union with the bidding process across the nation and the eventual development of the Force, Rugby Union is set to continue to challenge our three bigger codes of football in Australian Rules, Soccer/Football and Rugby League for junior participation.
10,000 players in one year is a massive jump in one year, that's equivalent to 667 XVs, or 1,600 more than the rugby playing population (male & female all ages) of Tonga, or one third of the total Pre-Teen Male Players in Argentina
Preliminary figures coming in from Western Australian Registration Days for the '06 Season have shown another burst of numbers as well, as the popularity of the code continues to explode in this state on the back of the Western Force. Imagine what will happen once they and the Wallabies are successful?!
