Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) will be celebrating Women in Rugby Round this week as the Queensland Reds prepare to host the Melbourne Rebels Women and the Brumbies in Round 5 of Super W and Round 7 of Super Rugby Pacific respectively.
It will see QRU celebrate Women within the game with the culmination of the Queensland Women’s Cap Project set to highlight the weekend.
After the Reds’ Men’s Cap Project was completed ahead of their 2017 season, identifying over 1200 capped Queensland Reds across nearly 1000 matches, Vintage Red Vanessa Bradley went about working towards a similar outcome for the women who have represented Queensland.
Bradley has reconnected with a vast network of women who have donned the maroon jersey since the first capped match in 1996, and has uncovered 238 capped Queensland Reds.
All players who have represented Queensland have been allocated a special ‘Queensland Cap Number’, in line with when they made their debut, and this weekend players from the past 27 years of Women’s Rugby will receive their physical cap in a presentation at the Suncorp Stadium Precinct Bar prior to the Super W match between the Reds and the Rebels.
The Vintage Reds women will then form a tunnel to cheer on the current Queensland Reds team as they run out for their Round 5 fixture, and post match, the women will be involved in a Cap presentation on field to the current Queensland Reds team before taking a lap of honour around Suncorp Stadium.
“We’re really looking forward to this weekend’s celebration,” said current Queensland Reds captain Shannon Parry.
“It will be great to bring together Queensland Reds women from different generations and teams and celebrate everyone’s involvement in Queensland Rugby history as each individual is awarded their Queensland Cap.
“We’ve got a rich history in the development of the Women’s game and this weekend we will highlight the efforts of everyone both past-and-present.”
QRU remains committed to ensuring that Rugby Union is an inclusive sport that provides opportunities on-and-off the field for aspiring women.
The current QRU strategic plan has four key pillars with Women highlighted as one pillar. Part of the strategy has seen QRU introduce a Women in Rugby Leadership program, seeing over 200 women from around the state take part in 2021, bringing their collective knowledge together to help develop further plans and initiatives to support the QRU strategy.
This weekend, as part of Women’s Round, club and affiliate representatives from across Queensland will take part in a Gender Inclusive and Culture Forum, creating frameworks to ensure that everyone is welcome in community Rugby.
Our strengthened partnership with the Queensland Academy of Sport continues to provide an environment for Queensland women to train and progress in the Sevens format of the game, with the elevation of Maddison and Teagan Levi to the Australian squad in 2021 the latest example of this pathway.
The redevelopment of Ballymore will also see the home of Queensland Rugby become the national home of Women’s Rugby.
QRU CEO David Hanham said: “This weekend provides the Queensland Rugby community with the chance to celebrate the women of our game, and their significant contributions across various levels of Rugby.
“QRU is committed to ensuring our sport is inclusive for all and strategically we have positioned Women’s involvement in the game as an imperative for our organisation.
“We’re working hard on-and-off the field to highlight the opportunities that exist for Women to be involved in Rugby, and we’re working with our affiliate members and clubs around the state to ensure community Rugby is accessible for all.
“This weekend we will celebrate our Queensland Reds Women’s representatives, both past-and-present, in what will be a significant moment in our history, as we recognise the efforts of those who have come before us, and what we hope to establish for future generations of Women who make Rugby their sport of choice.”
Saturday’s Women in Rugby Round will see Suncorp Stadium play host to it’s second double header of 2022, with the Queensland Reds Women set to face the Melbourne Rebels in Round 5 of the Super W competition, kick-off at 4:05pm, while the Reds Men will take on the Brumbies in Round 7 of Super Rugby Pacific, kick-off at 6:45pm. Tickets are available via: https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/Show.aspx?sh=REDS0422
