Women’s rugby set for lift-off
WOMEN’S rugby is returning to Gold Coast Eagles for the first time in a decade, with the first training session of a new era starting on Tuesday night.
Former Lingerie Football League gridiron player Brooklyn Manu, the co-founder of the First Fives rugby program and wife of Western Force prop Salesi Manu, will co-captain the side alongside Nicole Ireland, whose husband Leigh has been named head coach of the Eagles’ first grade side.
Manu said the inclusion of a women’s football team was a big cultural change, but one the entire club was embracing.
“Everyone’s excited,” she said. “It’s such a great club and inviting a women’s team is going to be more inclusive for the community and raise awareness for women’s rugby.”
The launch of the women’s team is the first stepping stone towards the addition of further teams.
The club is recruiting heavily in the under-13, under-15 and under-18 age-groups at nearby schools in the hope of adding junior women’s teams in the near future. The landscape of women’s sport has changed dramatically since Manu studied at Palm Beach Currumbin State High.
“There were no options when I was a girl – skipping and netball were it,” she said.
“I think the stigma surrounding contact sport for women is changing.
“It’s all about equality and inclusiveness and it’s good to see all the clubs embracing it.
“The opportunities are endless for women in sport now and our hope now is everyone gets to play and experience it.”