NEW RLCG BOSS TALKS THE BIG PICTURE PLANS
RUGBY League has been in Matthew Bradford’s blood for life, and now the new Gold Coast chairman of the code has outlined his plan to ensure the next generation reap the benefits the game has to offer.
With standing Rugby League Gold Coast chair Peter Daley stepping aside from his role citing it was “time for a break”, Bradford has taken the reins with the aim of ensuring the rising talents are retained into the senior ranks.
The first of these steps to come to fruition comes is the announcement that all Gold Coast junior grand finals will be played at Cbus Super Stadium, taking the game’s youngest prospects to the same stage as their idols.
“You think about young kids and the excitement of watching a game, can you imagine the excitement on the field where you’re heroes play? I don’t know a 10-year-old who would not love the opportunity,” Bradford said.
“What we’re trying to do is bring that excitement to kids and the families and add a new dimension. My understanding is we’re one of the first organisations – maybe the first to do it nationally.
“With the growth of the game on the Coast we’re seeing an unheralded time of expansion, especially when we have the junior growth and the female junior game growing very quickly.”
While plans in place in take the junior ranks to new heights, Bradford has also identified the need to enhance the under-20s competition in the region.
For the 2022 campaign only five teams have taken the field, but Daley said plans were in the works for that division to expand.
This season 18 sides have lined up in the under-18s across two divisions, with the outgoing chairman hopeful those same players filter up to the Colts program.
“As we all know in every sport you get to 15, 16, 17-year-olds and those younger blokes stop playing rugby league and sport,” Daley said. “But we’ve been able to combine getting them into the seniors … it’s still a work in progress, but with the under-18s I’d like to think we can get eight to 10 under-20s teams next year.
“I think you look at club education, leader development, participation growth or balance, they become very key conversations,” Bradford added.
For Daley, merging the junior and senior governing bodies into one entity and entering discussions about every grand final on the Glitter Strip taking place at Cbus Super Stadium on one weekend are among the highlights of his tenure. Others he said included leading the nation in referee retention, introducing an under-6s and under-7s rugby league tag outlet and the growing relationship with Gold Coast Titans. Discussions are also underway about how to bring Beaudesert, Pimpama and Yarrabilba into the fold.
But the movements made in the female code, culminating in the formation of the Karina Brown Challenge in the under-12 girls perhaps stand out the most.
“We’ve gone from two or three to eight teams this year in under 12 girls … and next year we’re talking of having the under-14s play on the Gold Coast,” Daley said.
“The next two years is massive in the growth department. Sometimes you need to step back and have a look at where things are heading, and maybe someone with different ideas will take us forward quicker”.