Juniors not deterred by off-field league acts

By RUSSELL AYRES
Junior Rugby League registration numbers continue to rise in the ACT despite off-field incidents and claims that the game is becoming exclusive to bigger kids.

Numbers of kids registered to play the game have climbed steadily in the last few seasons and although figures are not yet available for this season, there are already an extra eight teams registered to play, according to Canberra Region Rugby League Administration officer Jenny Maloney.

This is good news for Canberra Rugby League and the NRL who are continually battling against negative publicity brought on by off-field incidents at NRL level.

Karen Ebsworth, a league administrator for Canberra Region Rugby League, said the negative publicity has not had a significant impact on junior registration numbers.

She said in relation to the off field incidents, “It’s not good publicity obviously, but I don’t think it deters many people from getting their kids into the game.”

Ebsworth said that there are bigger deterrents that put parents off putting their children into sport in general, mainly poor behaviour from parents on the sidelines.

She said that poor parental behaviour is an area that Canberra Junior Rugby League is very proactive in.

“We have strict guidelines for what people are allowed to do and if they breach those guidelines we take very quick action against them,” Ebsworth said.

Ebsworth put the strength of the junior game in Canberra down to the good organisation of the game and its competitions.

It has also been suggested that the game is becoming exclusive to the bigger kids, most notably by expert commentator and Rugby League analyst, Phil Gould.

Michael Ferraris, secretary of the West Belconnen Rugby League Club, said that they see large spikes in registrations at the under 10 level as that is when a lot of parents think their kids are big and old enough to play

Ebsworth said that big kids don’t necessarily force smaller kids out of the game due to modified rules that junior rugby league offers at younger levels.

“There’s been a lot of research over the years into modified rules and Rugby League as a sport has tried to stay abreast of that research and adapted the rules where it’s been shown to provide benefits as far as keeping kids safe,” Ebsworth said.

To find your local Rugby League club in Canberra or the surrounding region, contact Canberra Region Rugby League on 02 6299 1999.