Radical revamp in junior league

RUGBY league is about to undergo one of the most radical overhauls in its 110-year history.

And it will happen in Queensland, with the Sunshine State to become a testing ground for some controversial rule changes and philosophical shifts aimed at taking rugby league to a new stratosphere.

Rusted-on league officials and parents are already providing criticism and resistance but worrying data shows the sport last year lost 40,000 participants nationwide – out of a total of 140,000.

Of that figure, 10,000 kids quit because of a “negative experience” over team selection issues and non-involvement.

The NRL’s billion-dollar broadcast deal is evidence the sport is not close to dying but, at grassroots level, there are signs of decay.

The code’s most respected and experienced figures, such as Penrith coach Ivan Cleary and former Queensland Origin star Ben Ikin, have decided it is time to act.

For the past 18 months, the ARL Commission has presided over a code-wide strategy, formalised into a document called the Player Development Framework, to regenerate grassroots football.

From next season, under- sixes competitions in southeast Queensland will not allow kids to tackle. They will play Tag League, similar to OzTag where youngsters can get a feel for the game without the fear of being crunched by an army of defenders.

As part of the TackleSafe program, the six-year-olds will undergo specific tackle training for 12 months to teach them to defend safely.

Their coaches will also be upskilled on tackle technique before the game’s traditional contact form begins in the under-sevens.

Southeast Queensland competitions in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Ipswich will also trial the axing of finals and grand finals before the age of 13.

From next season, the under-sixes to under-12s will play simply for fun. Scorelines will be kept but there will be no competition points ladders – and no grand finals.

The shake-up cuts to the core of rugby league’s cultural essence, but research across sports globally shows excess competition – and adult pressures – are killing junior sport.

“It is time to re-educate adults in our game – it’s time to give the game back to the kids,” says NRL strategy and projects chief James Hinchey, a former first-grader with Souths and Parramatta.