Junior Girls Rugby Festival spells bright future for women’s rugby with record participation
- Auckland Rugby’s annual Junior Girls Rugby Festival saw a record 53 teams registered this year
- The festival has continued to grow year-on-year since its inception in 2018 when just four teams were registered
- The Rugby World Cup this year is hoped to provide another boost in participation numbers after massive positive momentum from the Black Ferns’ 2022 victory
While the Black Ferns are preparing for what they hope will be a seventh Rugby World Cup victory this year, the next generation looks to be in good stead if the Auckland Rugby Junior Girls Rugby Festival is anything to go by.
The festival on Saturday 24 May saw a record 53 teams registered, up from just four in 2018 – its inaugural year – a 1225% increase in just seven years.
Held at Auckland Marist Rugby Club in Panmure, the festival saw 550 girls take part in games as well as a range of fun activities off-field including hair-braiding and meet and greets with some of their favourite Auckland Storm Farah Palmer Cup players.
The union credits the growth to not only inspiration such as the Black Ferns and greater coverage of women’s rugby, but a range of key initiatives it says has driven momentum. They include targeted school programmes, joint club and school offerings, tackle specific education sessions, female-focused coaching courses, networking and events for women and girls in rugby and direct investment into club facilities that cater to women and girls.
The boom in player participation has enabled Auckland Rugby to introduce nine girls-only grades since 2018, providing pathways for girls from junior level through to high school and beyond.
Auckland Rugby Marketing Manager Bernadette Machell says, “The Junior Girls Rugby Festival is a great window into girls rugby here in Auckland and how it is thriving. We’re seeing more girls than ever fall in love with the game of rugby and that’s thanks not only to the great profile that women’s rugby now enjoys, but also to the hard work of our team here at Auckland Rugby who design and deliver a range of initiatives like this to not only attract girls and women to the game, but to keep them in the sport. We look forward to continuing this trajectory of growth and seeing everyone back next year.”
