Wests are hoping to turn their premiership-winning under-18s girls side into the next women's team in Canberra's competition after launching a bid to revive their senior female team for the first time in a decade.
Wests will host a women's open day at the University of Canberra on Saturday, keen to build on the success of their junior girls program to strengthen the capital's rugby ranks.
Wests started a junior girls ‘Lionesses’ program last year,
Their move to join the women's competition is part of the sport's increased participation in Canberra this year, with female numbers jumping by a massive 30 per cent in the past 12 months.
Wests and Easts are both trying to recruit players to join the women's fixture next season and it is hoped their inclusion will create greater competition.
The ACT Junior Rugby Union launched a new 10-a-side competition for teenage girls last year and Wests were one of the first to jump on board.
Their under-17s players moved into under-18s this year and will be looking for senior competition next year, prompting officials to investigate opportunities for the senior league.
"We are now at the point where our women’s premiership winning under-18s team are about to progress into seniors and we want to ensure the senior club can provide them a pathway to keep playing, whether that being at the Wests or onto representative duties," said Wests president Angus McKerchar.
"Our junior’s have done an outstanding job the last few years developing and growing the women’s game, now fielding several teams throughout the age groups.
"On the back of the women’s sevens, and the exposure they’ve created through good rugby and fan engagement, combine that with our juniors ability to embrace the growth, there’s a template on how to grow the game there."
Rugby in Australia has been on a rocky road for the past two years, struggling to embrace fans at Super Rugby and Wallabies levels.
But grassroots rugby is still strong, with participation growth in every category. Men's 15-a-side numbers grew by seven per cent, juniors jumped six per cent and women's was the biggest improver with a 30 per cent rise.
"We're a community club with a professional team," said ACT Brumbies chief executive Michael Thomson.
"So it's very important that the game continues to grow. We've got seven development officers in Canberra and the region, and this is the third year in a row we've had participation growth here.
"We still believe people love the game. It's about how do we build that bridge between the community game and the professional game."
The introduction of the Super W competition and the rise of the Australian women's sevens team has helped attract more women to the game.
The Brumbies were part of the inaugural Super W season and the club also restarted its academy system to provide a pathway for the capital's talented juniors.
Rugby Australian unveiled a new national talent management strategy on Friday, which aims to develop and retain rugby's best junior players.
State-based academy programs will be split into stages, with the first stage being for school-aged 15 and 16-year-olds, the second stage for 17 and 18-year-olds, and stage three capturing school-leavers in the 18 to 20 or over age group.
"One of the challenges has always been about having effective pathways," Thomson said.
"We know our elite players get targeted by a number of other sports. The more clarity and focus on pathways is very important. The new plan … it's really pleasing Rugby Australia is focusing more on this area because it's important for the growth of the game and retention of talent."
Meanwhile, the Brumbies have found solid ground off the field and will report a profit for the second year in a row. It will be the first time in 10 years the club has reported back to back profits.
WESTS WOMEN'S OPEN DAY
Saturday: Wests' search for players for 2019 will include a skills session and information session. Skills session from 2.30-4pm.
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