Women’s NRL extended
The NRL has granted clubs an extension to apply for licences in the historic women’s competition set to be launched later this year amid a flurry of interest in the inaugural season.
Despite the initial deadline of February 1 for applications, clubs will be given an extra fortnight to finalise proposals as the bidding process heats up.
The NRL will now accept expressions of interest up until February 16.
It is tipped to be a fierce battle to secure one of the coveted licences, with up to six on offer for the short-term competition, which will be played as double-headers leading up to and during the NRL finals series.
The NRL has already indicated a preference for the competition to feature teams geographically spread throughout Australia and New Zealand, almost guaranteeing one licence for the Warriors and another for a Queensland team.
Arch-rivals Cronulla and St George Illawarra have led the way in promoting the women’s game in recent years, the Sharks the first club to centrally contract a female player and the Dragons boasting a female competition within their region.
The inaugural women’s competition will follow on from the success of the Rugby League World Cup, which drew outstanding television ratings and was widely applauded after Australia edged out New Zealand in a gripping final.
The NRL hopes to centrally contract Jillaroos stars for the competition and provide match payments for others who are picked up by the various licensees.
An expanded NRL women’s programme will also feature a standalone State of Origin match between NSW and Queensland during the representative weekend in June, nearly all of whom will be expected to feature in the NRL competition later in the season.
Despite it being almost certain to receive more nominations than there are licences for 2018, the NRL is likely to follow in the footsteps of the AFL women’s competition and expand rapidly within the first four years.
AFLW plans to add an extra two teams to its eight-strong competition in 2019 before increasing the total number of franchises to 14 in 2020.
It is unclear whether the successful NRL franchises will look to other sports to bolster their playing stocks.