Alice Soper: Women and girls’ rugby participation numbers reveal approach needed to realise full potential

Participation numbers reveal more work needs to be done for our teenage girls. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

OPINION

Last week, New Zealand Rugby released its participation numbers for the 2023 season. It hadn’t managed to hit the 40 per cent projection it had headlined back in March for women and girls in the game. However, a healthy 20 per cent increase on last year was reported. It was this boost that helped to soften the overall decline in New Zealand’s playing numbers but getting right into the weeds, may yet identify where our true growth lies.

The increase from last season tells a story of success but also of lopsided recovery. We are still yet to bounce back fully to the heights of our pre-Covid numbers. Club spaces, both at the senior and junior level are up on 2019 measures. However, schools are where the girls are struggling to find their footy. Both areas had been experiencing year-on-year success prior to Covid but now yo-yo between growth and contraction.

This likely reflects a change in tack from New Zealand Rugby. It has moved away from engaging young players in one-off tournaments and festivals, favouring a more structured season. With the junior club registrations now picking up around the same number as primary schools used to, our littlest sisters seem well served. However, in the secondary school space we aren’t getting a passing grade.

Here, we are still 20 per cent off our pre-Covid figures. This is a worry as high school is perhaps the most competitive moment in a young athlete’s life as this talent has many options. Some will be helping to boost the senior women’s club numbers, like the more than five teenagers I coached this year after they received dispensation. Many though will be lost to other opportunities.

The frequent messages I receive from parents lament the pivot at this point, away from clubs and into schools. I can count the notable rugby schools for girls on one hand but run out of fingers for clubs on the other. Perhaps here is another example of where approaches for boys and girls in the game need to differ. Rather than building new infrastructure across the secondary school space, we could bolster the strong foundations of our junior rugby to cover our teenagers too.

In a surprise to perhaps no one, Auckland had the highest number of women and girls registered this year. Around 12 per cent of players, nearly 1 in 8, played out of our largest city. In second place is Black Ferns Sevens home base, Bay of Plenty, with North Harbour right behind them. A more surprising feature in the top 10 is Horowhenua Kāpiti. This Heartland union had more wāhine involved than the likes of Otago, Waikato, Taranaki or Wellington.

Horowhenua Kāpiti is not an outlier in the number of smaller unions punching above their weight. If you look at the percentage growth across the past 10 years, none of the top five unions feature in the Farah Palmer Cup. King Country by name and by result, this region has experienced over 750 per cent growth in women and girls participation since 2013. It is true they started from a lower base than their larger neighbours but there are lessons to be learned on these gravel roads.

The more detail you dive into, the more questions present themselves. Questions that if asked of the right people, those at the front line of the outliers, may yet present the pathway forward. I tried to call King Country’s Wāhine development officer when writing this column. Abby was busy, coaching an under 15s girls 10-aside team. She’ll call me tomorrow and together we will share insights on the game we love.

With a fuller picture of our challenges and successes, we will be closer to uncovering our true potential.