Following the success of neighbouring club Brothers in recent years, the Penrith Waratahs Junior Rugby League Club are looking to boost their female participation numbers ahead of the upcoming season.
Helping the Waratahs to achieve their goal of attracting more female talent to the club – as well as to the game of rugby league itself – is the addition of Mark Lewis.
The local father was a stalwart at Brothers for many years, helping the club establish one of the strongest female programs in the Penrith district.
On top of that, Lewis was instrumental in numerous Women in League fundraisers and initiatives. Lewis will be one of the Waratahs’ new female coordinators ahead of the 2025 junior rugby league season, and he’s excited to get started.
“It’s not just about building a girls program at Waratahs, it’s actually about getting more females to play rugby league in the district,” he said.
“As per Panthers Juniors rules, you’re only allowed one female team, per club, per age group. So the more clubs with female teams, the more girls that are playing, the better the competitions will be.”
During the recent 2024 season, the Waratahs had two female League Tag teams, but next season they are hoping to introduce a whole lot more including tackle teams.
“The female competition has been gaining momentum the last couple of years,” Waratahs Secretary Kate Wennerbom said.
“The bigger clubs often find it easier to attract more players because they’ve got more mums, more sisters, more daughters connected to that particular club. But since we’ve been pushing our new female program of late, interest has been through the roof.”
Lewis said people should consider a proud and historic club like the Waratahs because family is their focus.
“The Waratahs are extremely passionate about getting girls in the game and being a smaller club, we feel we are able to give more support to our players,” he said.
“We bring a family environment and a more personal touch to our program.”
The Waratahs will be looking to run free clinics at their home at Kingswood’s Doug Rennie Oval in the new year for females of all ages to try rugby league before signing up.
For more information, contact the club on Facebook or get in touch with Kate Wennerbom on 0420 700 361.
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.