Festival of footy highlights growing junior female talent

A LANDMARK rugby league event has seen more than 250 players converge for the inaugural Festival of Female Footy at Tweed Heads.

The focus was on fostering the next crop of junior female competitors, while highlighting pathway opportunities to play at a higher level.

Games from under-13 to under-17s were contested at Piggabeen Sports Complex.

It was a joint initiative between the Tweed Seagulls, Gold Titans, Queensland Rugby League and NSW Rugby League.

The competition attracted players from across the Northern Rivers and Gold Coast with some from as far north as Logan to Grafton in the south.

“It’s a clear validation of the game’s growing popularity and the incredible progress made in such a short time from the hard work of QRL and NSWRL,” Tweed Seagulls CEO Brendon Lindsay said.

“For the club, it reinforces the importance of investing in women’s pathways. For women’s sport more broadly, it sends a strong message – there is genuine interest, strong community support, and a bright future ahead.”

One of the highlights of the day was the NRLW preseason trial game between the Gold Coast Titans and North Queensland, with the Titans winning 16-8.

It was a chance to see the full contact version of the game with some of the best female players in the country competing.

The Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League offers tackle and modified tag divisions in its junior and senior ranks.

The likes of Kali Ainsworth and Karri Williams now travel up from Lismore to play with the Tweed Seagulls in its top senior female team.

Rugby league manager for Queensland Katie McAllister said the festival highlighted the talent from the Gold Coast and the Northern Rivers.

“Both regions have experienced significant growth in the female game over the past few years and days like this give us a positive platform to promote the hard work of not just the players but also the mums, dads, coaching staff and clubs who have grinded away for years to put the girls game on the map,” she said.