Rugby Australia extends $72,458 for Female players

Australia (Commonwealth) _Australia’s top women’s rugby players will be guaranteed $72,458 in 2024 after Rugby Australia increased pay by 28%.

Following an announcement that the governing body has boosted funding for women’s rugby for a second year in a row, chief executive Phil Waugh of the organization acknowledged on Friday that there is still “a lot of work to be done” by the code to bridge the payment gap.

In addition to pledging more than $3 million, Rugby Australia (RA) committed to increased money, more Wallaroos Tier 1 contracts, and higher player wages. The code also attempts to put in place a top-notch, high-performing framework for the women’s 15-a-side game.

The Wallaroos had a great 2023 season, which was topped off by a third-place showing in World Rugby’s first-ever WXV global tournament in New Zealand in November. As it prepares for this major event, RA is excited to leave a lasting legacy. The women’s Rugby World Cup will be hosted in the country in 2029.

“We’ve determined that Rugby Australia’s sevens program is the model we should follow,” stated RA CEO Phil Waugh. It is among the top full-time, completely professional women’s sports programs in the nation and has had over ten years of outstanding success. Last year, there was a notable surge in the number of women and girls participating, mostly in sevens.

This came after our women’s sevens team had an incredible 2022, winning all three main trophies available. This demonstrated that achievement can actually spur interest and engagement, and women’s XVs provide this chance. We’ll keep developing the women’s game in an ethical and sustainable manner.

Even though we still have a long way to go, our increased dedication over the past two years demonstrates our will to keep moving forward. For playing for the Wallaroos and Super Rugby Women, Tier 1-contracted athletes can now receive RA payments of $72,458 year, up from a maximum of $56,000 in 2023. Additional player compensation from Super Rugby teams are not included in the numbers.

The Wallaroos, the Australian women’s national rugby union side, have participated in every Women’s Rugby World Cup since 1998. Their best performance came in third place in 2010.

Rugby was first played by women in Australia in the late 1930s in the provinces of New South Wales. Newcastle, New South Wales hosted the inaugural National Women’s Tournament in 1992. The Australian Women’s Rugby Union was founded the next year, and the Wallaroos were named the national women’s rugby team. The Wallaroo Football Club, one of Australia’s oldest clubs, was founded in 1870, which is why it was picked.

In 1994, the Wallaroos took against the Black Ferns of New Zealand in their inaugural international match. North Sydney Oval hosted the match, which New Zealand won 37 to 0. In 1998, the squad participated in its first World Cup in the Netherlands and finished in fifth place. They also finished sixth in the Barcelona, Spain, and tournament in 2002.

The Wallaroos faced Canada and its Tasman rivals, the Black Ferns, in two Test matches held in New Zealand in 2014. The Wallaroos learned from their losses in these two games and used that knowledge into the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup. The Australian squad lost to the United States by a small margin in the opening round and finished second in the pool stage behind the host country France. The Australian team finished the tournament in seventh place after finishing second in the pool stage behind the host nation France. They lost to the United States in the first playoff match, but they won their last game against Wales.

Australia defeated Wales and Scotland in the group stages to advance to the 2022 Rugby World Cup quarterfinals. They would travel to Auckland, England.