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Fri, Feb 16, 2024, 6:04 AM
Rugby Australia
Rugby Australia has increased its investment in Women’s Rugby for the second successive year, committing to additional funding, more Tier 1 contracts for Wallaroos players, and higher player payments, as the code aims to implement a world-class high-performance system in Women’s XVs.
The uplift comes on the back of a promising season for the Wallaroos in 2023, capped by a third-place finish at World Rugby's inaugural WXV global tournament in New Zealand last November.
With the women’s 2029 Rugby World Cup to be held at home, Australian Rugby has a unique opportunity to build a meaningful and lasting legacy for Women’s Rugby as it embarks on the runway towards this marquee event.
The second phase of the planned staged increase in investment sees more than $3 million of additional funding injected into the women’s game across Wallaroos, Buildcorp Super Rugby Women’s and high-performance systems.
Beginning in 2024 and running through 2025 - the year of the next women’s Rugby World Cup – the new investment represents an increase of 61% over 2023, which itself saw an increase of 60% over 2022.
Some key points:
Wallaroos
- Following the introduction of the first central contracts in 2023, some Wallaroos players have been offered two-year agreements for the first time across Tiers 1 and 2.
- The number of top-tier contracts has increased from 15 to 23, with the possibility of increasing that number throughout the course of 2024.
- Players contracted at the highest tier can earn up to $72,458 per year in RA payments for Wallaroos and Super Rugby Women’s participation combined (a 28% increase from the maximum of $56,000 in 2023).
- These figures do not include additional player payments made by Super Rugby clubs.
- In total, a list of up to 45 players (ten more than 2023) will be contracted across three tiers – with the opportunity for additional players to be invited into the squad to aid player development.
- All tiers have the capacity for an increase in the total amount a player can earn when compared to 2023.
- A new unlimited fourth tier will allow for greater flexibility, with additional players able to be brought into squads. These players are included in the broader Managed Player Group and will receive assembly fees and incidentals allowances.
Super Rugby Women’s
- All Super Rugby Women’s players will continue to receive an RA-funded minimum payment of $4,000 in addition to any club payments for the five-rounds-plus-Finals season.
- RA’s minimum payment is intended to be additional to club payments – Super Rugby clubs may contribute payments over and above the minimum RA payments.
Jaime Fernandez, Rugby Australia National Women’s High-Performance Manager:
“Rugby Australia is continuing to invest in Women’s Rugby – in 2023 we saw an additional $2 million of funding, we appointed the first full-time head coach of the Wallaroos, and the first dedicated women’s high-performance manager.
“In 2024, we will see further increased player payments, multi-year contracts, and an increase in the number of the highest tier of contracts.
"Significantly, we are seeing Super Rugby clubs making similar commitments to the women's game, with increases in investment, and hiring of more dedicated staff within their women's programs.
“This investment and the structure that we are building has been developed to build a critical mass and retention of key players – steps that will support an increase in training hours and time spent together as a team, which we believe will lead to greater success at international level.
“Naturally, we are focused on the next Rugby World Cup in England in 2025, however this is part of a strategy to build a sustainable model that will deliver a highly competitive performance at our home World Cup in 2029.
“We have loaded our Player Agreements towards the Tier 1 and Tier 2 categories, with most contracts at the highest tier tabled for two years to build stability for 2025.”
Phil Waugh, Rugby Australia CEO:
“We have identified Rugby Australia’s Sevens program as the benchmark for us to emulate, as one of the most elite full-time and fully professional women’s sports programs in the country – which has achieved remarkable success for more than a decade.
“We saw a significant increase in participation among women and girls last year, and much of that was in Sevens.
“This followed an unprecedented 2022 when our Women’s Sevens team won all three major trophies on offer, proving that success can genuinely drive interest and participation – and this is the opportunity with Women’s XVs.
“We will continue to grow the women’s game in a sustainable and responsible way – we still have a lot of work to do, but the increase in our commitment over the last two years shows our determination to continue pushing forward.”
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Don't want to be cynical, but does seem convenient timing for this to be released the day after the Force announce all their players locked away...
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa
Wallabies fail to make it out of the pool... "BUT LOOK! THE WOMENS GAME!"
Distract, distract, distract...
Last edited by chibi; 17-02-24 at 19:51.
Japan and the Pacific Islands for Aussie Super 9's!
Let's have one of these in WA! Click this link: Saitama Super Arena - New Perth Stadium?
1. I have grown to enjoy women's sport.
2. At times, in Rugby on a match by match basis, I even enjoy Women's and Schoolboys more than Pro Men's.
3. Professional female athletes of many codes and sports deserve to be rewarded more generously for their efforts.
4. To call for equality in pay is absolutely ludicrous!
5. I never thought I would agree with Dicko about anything!
6. Happy to expand on any of these points if requested...
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
I've just been watching the women's test against South Africa at the WACA. I'm all for efforts to improve the pay for women's sports, but, to put it bluntly, women's sports don't generally generate the same revenue as men's sports. The attendance today wasn't bad, considering, but it wasn't close to what a men's test gets in attendance, and the match was televised, but on 7Mate, so would generate much less ad revenue, so the game won't be the same income generator for Cricket Australia. Considering what generates the money to pay the players is largely gate receipts and TV money, to call for equality in pay is absurd, at the moment. (I think the exception is tennis, where women's tournaments get close to the same attendance and sponsorship/ad revenue.)
However, I'll all for efforts to be made to raise the awareness of women's sports to the point where equality of pay can be sensibly considered.
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon
Its all about bums on seats. Either Live or in front of the telly watching the broadcast.
If Norm and the rest of the "Aussie Population" dont watch the women play. There will never be money in Womens sport. And if Women are rich enough to say No to sponsors like Gina Rinehart. They are going to continue to struggle.
Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa
Wallaroos 2024 Home Fixtures
Wallaroos v Canada, Saturday May 11 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wallaroos v USA, Friday May 17 at AAMI Park, Melbourne
Wallaroos v Fiji, Saturday July 6 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wallaroos v New Zealand, Sunday July 14, Ballymore, Brisbane
With all that the Force are doing in Women's Rugby and the considerable expat Fijian community, perhaps RA should have put the second Sydney fixture at HBF.
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa