CHAPMAN CALLS FOR PUSH TO CONTINUE
IT has been a period of uncertainty for Jaime Chapman as the drawn out battle between the Rugby League Players Association and NRL threatened to end in calamity.
However with a historic collective bargaining agreement secured, the young fullback has called on the next generation to spearhead the game towards full-time professionalism.
But now, a 2023 season fixture needs to be locked in.
While the pay dispute has been finalised for the women’s game, a start date for the campaign is yet to be confirmed as players begin to negotiate new contracts.
A salary cap of $900,000 with an average wage of $30,000 put in place for the NRLW, with those numbers set to increase to $1.518m and $50,000 by 2027, but as it stands many athletes will still be required to work other jobs to maintain a full-time income.
The 2023 season will also welcome four new teams into the fold – the Cowboys, Sharks, Raiders and Tigers – meaning players still are unsure where they will end up and when they will be required to relocate.
A move would also include preseason preparation, meaning players could be required to be away for approximately five months.
For Chapman, the Jillaroos star is fortunate to work for disability support service organisation What Ability, who work extensively in the inclusive sport space and have proven to be flexible with her rugby league commitments.
But the 20-year-old said she had still be unable to secure a home lease given she is unsure where she will be once the season inevitably starts.
Chapman said the funding announcement had come as an enormous relief for the wider playing group, knowing higher payment will be forthcoming, but the challenge of locking in their immediate futures away from the field and work remained. While she would not confirm which clubs she had been in discussions with for the 2023 season, the Tweed Seagull did say she had started contract negotiations.
“Having that CBA sorted has taken a big weight off all of the NRLW girls’ shoulders. I couldn’t resign my lease … and the rest of it with family life it’s so hard when you don’t know what you’re going to be doing,” Chapman said.
“It’s still up in the air, we obviously can’t sign a lease up here because you never know what’s going to happen, so I’m still waiting to re-sign my lease or find somewhere else.
“We were all so uncertain, it was a bit stressful, but having it sorted gives us a base where we can work out where we’re going to be playing this year and start to sort out our life a bit.
“I’m lucky within the work space where I can kind of say I can’t work now and they’re really flexible around footy … but some girls have full-time jobs, they don’t know when they can leave for footy, if they need to relocate with four new teams.
“There’s going to be a lot of movement in the teams, and girls will be relocating a lot so girls with full time jobs have to let them know when they’re leaving.”
Already Chapman has impressed for the Dragons and Broncos in the past two years, and in the meantime would turn her attention to the QRLW campaign to begin next weekend.
Fresh off a triumphant World Cup campaign, the flyer was on deck to help announce the renewed sponsorship support for the Tweed women’s outfit from Gold Coast Airport.
It follows the reveal of more than $2m in funding towards the Piggabeen Sporting Complex redevelopment, which is set to usher in a host of new opportunities for women’s and girls footy.
And Chapman highlighted Seagulls U19s twins Tamika and Sienna Smith – at prop and halfback respectively – to take advantage and propel towards the elite.