BY every measure, women's rugby league in the Hunter has been an outstanding success; a game-changer for not just women's sport but for aspiring girls in the game as well.
A near sell-out attendance women's State of Origin match, even in the rain, at McDonald Jones Stadium earlier this year, and heaving numbers in participation rates across the region.
In NSW, the women's game has increased in popularity since the launch of the NRLW competition in 2018, with registration numbers across the state consistently topping 20,000.
In the Hunter, the Newcastle Knights NRLW team's back-to-back premiership wins, have helped stir a rising giant.
Over the past seven years participation in women's rugby league in the Hunter has increased almost 400 per cent, from 556 in 2017 to 2164 this year.
Since 2020, the numbers have almost doubled from 1192.
An NSWRL spokesman said changes would be made to the women's competition in the Hunter next year to accommodate for the rising numbers.
Instead of starting the female-only competition from under-13s, it will begin at under-12s.
The spokesman said the move was aimed at allowing girls to start playing in a female-only competition earlier, to keep them in the game.
In younger age groups, the girls play in the general competition.
"The NSWRL received feedback from clubs that they lose a few girls from the ages of 10 to 12 as boys start developing," he said.
"It helps close the gap between juniors and seniors with an under-18s competition. Currently the 17-year-old girls having to play against seniors as there are no other options."
He said the shift also aligned better with pathways for girls wanting to pursue a professional career in rugby league.
"The Knights can monitor the under-16s competition for selections for the Westpac Lisa Fiaola Cup the following year," he said.
Across the Hunter this year, there were 55 female tackle teams in ten competitions and 22 ladies league tag teams across three divisions.
This jumped from 27 female tackle teams across five competitions four years ago and 21 ladies league tag teams across three division.
"For 2025, there will be another three grades of senior women's tackle competitions for the first time," the spokesman said.
"We are also looking to create girls'-only mod competitions to encourage girls to join our game earlier.
"We will also be exploring the ability to offer single-age competitions rather than dual-age, in line with the male competition."
South Newcastle Junior Rugby League Football Club fielded a record number of players this season, off the back of an increase in female participation.
The junior club, which is the second largest in the state, fielded four girls' teams.
Club secretary Sharon Rogers said of more than 520 players at the club, about 100 were girls.
"It was our biggest year to date, mostly because we had so many girls' teams," she said.
"This year we had two teams in the under-15s, which we've never had before. It's growing all the time, which is great."
The club's under-15s and under-13s women's first division teams were minor and major premiers.
