Wingham junior rugby league president Darrin Lewis is thrilled with the growth of junior game in the region.
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His comments follow the release of participation numbers in NSW for 2018.
They are very encouraging for Group Three rugby league compared with the rest of the state, particularly when it comes to female participation. In 2018, there was an increase in overall female player numbers from 205 to 463 (both in senior and junior) while junior female numbers jumped from 43 to 293.
Darrin said the Tigers added almost 100 players for the 2018 season.
He credited the State Government’s $100 Active Kids voucher, the culture of the club and player retainment for the growth.
The Minis competition was well received at Wingham.
The club had two teams, Black and Gold, in the under sixes, sevens and eights competitions.
“The parents were really happy with it as their kids were having more game time,” Darrin said.
“We hope to have as many teams as this year in 2019.”
Rugby league players across the entire Mid North Coast are setting the standard for their country counterparts, particularly in the junior divisions.
Group Three had the best retention rate overall of any NSW country junior competition with a staggering 10 per cent increase on the national average from 2017.
There was a 16 per cent increase (2345 to 2723 players) in both male and female junior and senior participation numbers. Male overall participation had a slight increase from 2140 to 2260.
The consensus from the other Group Three clubs was the Active Kids rebate from the State government, NRL endorsed development days, success in the Minis competition (under sixes to under nines) and the promotion of the women’s game has contributed to the growth.
Taree Panthers junior rugby league president Doug Ferguson is immensely passionate about female participation in the game.
As a coach of many sides, Doug wants to be a promoter of the women’s game and ensure there’s a clear pathway to the NRLW and national side.
“The girls are great to coach, they listen and want to learn. It's an exciting time for junior and women’s rugby league in the area and it will be great to see Group Three nurture that.
“If there’s anything I can do to help with that, I’ll do it,” Doug said.
Doug said numbers at the Panthers increased dramatically in 2018.
“Last year we had 160 registrations and 250 this year,” Doug said.
