SA Rugby has an ambitious plan to centrally contract as many as 150 female rugby players from as early as next year to create an elite, Women’s Super League Rugby (WSLR) competition to boost the game in South Africa.
SA Rugby chose Women’s Day to confirm the ground-breaking plans as a key staging post in the ambition of seeing the Springbok Women emulate their male counterparts by winning the Rugby World Cup.
The plan is being formulated in conjunction with the provincial rugby unions who have been invited to submit proposals for inclusion of a franchise in the WSLR.
The number of contestants will be determined by the quality of submissions but is expected to be no more than four or five. The centrally contracted players will be shared out among the teams.
“This is a momentous day for women’s rugby in South Africa,” said Mark Alexander, president of SA Rugby.
“The women’s game is making amazing strides across the world and in South Africa and we want to match that growth by providing an appropriate aspirational, high-performance platform for South African women.
“There is work to be done but the plans we are making will meet the needs of women rugby players and provide the quality of domestic competition that is needed to raise our international playing standards.”
SA Rugby’s existing inter-provincial premier and first division competitions will continue. The Bulls Daisies have contracted a full-time squad, but the rest of the competition is made up of semi-professional and mostly amateur players.
The WSLR is intended to level the playing field by ensuring closer matches and greater jeopardy to raise standards.
THE ELEVATION OF WOMEN’S RUGBY IS NOW A PRIORITY
Rian Oberholzer, SA Rugby CEO, said that it was important to understand the development trajectory that women’s rugby was undergoing around the world.
“The only professionalised women’s leagues in the world are in England and New Zealand and they have only been in operation for half a dozen years or so,” he said.
“They are not yet fully professional in the sense that we understand men’s rugby to be. Similarly, our South African model is for a professionalised WSLR with high standards of preparation, training and competition with players who have 12-month-a-year contracts but may also be in tertiary education or in full or part-time employment.
“This is a critical staging post on the ultimate goal of a fully professional women’s game around the world and it is investment for the exponential growth of rugby in South Africa.”
SA RUGBY AND FRANCHISES WORKING IN TAMDEM
Franchises will be awarded on a three-year basis with entrants entrenched for such a period. SA Rugby will also provide budgetary support to competing franchises by covering flight and accommodation costs and other expenses.
Bidders will be required to provide robust responses to questions relating to a set of minimum standards in the areas of governance and funding; player development; coaching; medical and support services such as strength and conditioning, analysis and nutrition; the training and match-day environment; marketing and communications and commercial activities.
“Making this announcement on Women’s Day was done to underline SA Rugby’s commitment to the women’s game,” said Alexander.
“We saw the impact of the women’s Sevens event at the Olympics and every measurement available points only to the growth of women’s sport and women’s rugby around the world.
“It has been a priority of ours for several years and this announcement marks a watershed moment for women’s rugby in South Africa.”
The players to be offered contracts will be identified by the SA Rugby High Performance department in consultation with member unions with the WSLR is scheduled to kick off early in the New Year.
“We look forward to confirming the competing franchises in October,” said Oberholzer. “It will be a key moment in the strategy to bring the Women’s Rugby World Cup back to South Africa.”
WXV 2 will take place in Cape Town. Image: Via SA Rugby.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.