2018 has seen the introduction of two new Junior Girl's Competitions.
The new competitions involve U11s (ages 6-11) and U15s (ages 12-15) and have been played in the Touch 7s format. These competitions have built on the female rugby pathway in Victoria after the creation of the U17 Girls 7s in 2017.
The response to the new competitions has been incredible, with 17 teams made up of 170 girls participating each weekend. This a massive increase on last year, where there was 4 teams made up of 30 girls taking part in Youth Girls Competitions. T
he current teams taking part in these competitions include:
- U17s - Casey, Endeavour Hills, Harlequins, Moorabbin, Uni Panthers, Western Districts
- U12-15 - Box Hill/Melbourne, Casey, Endeavour Hills, Harlequins, Kiwi Hawthorn, Racing
- U11 - Harlequins, Kiwi Hawthorn, Melbourne, Power House, Racing
The creation of these competitions has contributed to a rapidly expanding pathway for female rugby here in Victoria. A important piece to this pathway was added just recently, with the exciting announcement in May that The University of Melbourne will join the Aon University Sevens Series in 2018.
Rugby Victoria General Manager Chris Evans believes the Aon University 7s competition will be an integral part of the growing Female 7s pathway here in Victoria.
"The inclusion of the Melbourne University team in to the 2018 Aon University 7s has created a pathway for aspiring Victorian female 7s players", Chris Evans said.
"In 2018 Rugby Victoria launched three new girls competitions for U11s-U17s (Touch 7s and 7s).
"The Aon University 7s competition will ensure there is an opportunity for female athlete to progress through our Victorian Pathway, participate in the University 7s competition and ultimately become Australian Women’s 7s players."
