New Zealand Rugby general manager community rugby Steve Lancaster said the continued growth in the community game post-Covid could be attributed to the “great work” of provincial unions across the country.
“It certainly hasn’t happened overnight, but we are seeing the results of participant-centred opportunities that are meeting the needs of our communities.
“These numbers also show an increase in diversity in our game, across ages, gender and ethnicity, which further affirms our efforts to ensure that rugby is a game for everyone.”
With more women and girls playing rugby than ever before, Lancaster highlighted the success of the national Girls Activator programmes over the past three years.
“With the support of Sport NZ, we have 30 roles across the provincial unions that are specifically targeted to increasing the participation of young girls in our game,” he said.
“The unions have the freedom to tailor these roles and programmes to suit the needs of their communities and the outcomes speak for themselves.”
Off-field the number of registered coaches grew 10% to 10,154 while there was a 3% decrease in active referees.
“We know referees are a vital part of our game and with rising participation we need to see more people picking up the whistle, so it’s an area we’ll actively invest in,” Lancaster said.
Participants are also enjoying their time in the game, with the recent results from the Sport NZ Voice of Participants Survey providing positive feedback, with some of the highest scores since 2019.
Within club rugby, the overall satisfaction score was up 3% to 76% and tracks 10% above the 2021-23 All Sports figure.
The Net Promoter Score, which looks at a participant’s likelihood to recommend the sport to others, increased by six points and sits 20 points above the All Sports average.
The Value for Money score grew to 87%, 13% above All Sports.
Waikato rugby community
- 1892 total female players – 25.5% increase from 2023
- 10,145 total players – 0.8% increase
- 125 referees – 16.8% increase
- 2908 senior club players: 487 female – 12% increase; 2421 male
- 1966 secondary school players: 321 female – 32% increase; 1645 male
- 4418 junior players- 3.6% decrease: 811 female – 11% increase; 3607 male
- 651 coaches – 10% increase: 58 female – 21% increase; 593 male – 9% increase
- 398 volunteers: 211 female – 10% increase; 187 male – 13% increase.
New Zealand Rugby stats
- 155,568 players – 6% increase
- 10,154 coaches – 10% increase
- 1522 referees – 3% decrease
- 33,757 registered women and girls players – 4300 increase (15%)
- 4200 more junior players in 2024
- 2400 more teenage players in 2024
- 1500 more senior players in 2024.
