The Canberra Raiders will select a Girls Development Squad for the first time as the club looks to further their female pathways.
All Round 3 matches in the Canberra Region Rugby League Under 17 Girls competition will take place at Northbourne Oval as Raiders Junior High Performance staff identify talent with a particular focus on the 2019 Tarsha Gale Cup.
Junior High Performance Manager, Dean Souter, said the Under 17 Girls Development Squad is an important step in allowing female players in the Canberra Region to reach their potential.
"We are currently in foundation stages of women's rugby league and Canberra is getting on the front foot," Souter said. "We've had a Tarsha Gale Cup team since the inaugural season and what we need to do now is coordinate with Canberra Region Rugby League to get the underpinning competitions as strong as they can be.
"Part of the role that we play in that is creating development programs, which generates interest and pathways. That creates our next generation of good players and we'll start to see a flow on effect of more women coming to our game."
In addition to the Under 17's Girl Development Squad, the Canberra Raiders will be selecting Development Squads for Under 13's, Under 14's and Under 15's Boys.
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"This is our chance to really hone our attention in on what is happening locally," Souter said. "It's an opportunity to develop them and give them an idea of what the next level looks like."
Once selected the Development squads will commence training programs from June until mid-September. At the conclusion of the CRRL Junior Season, the Development sides will compete against other groups in the Country Championships.
Development Squad Selection Dates at Northbourne Oval:
Under 17 Girls – Sunday 13th May
Under 15 Boys – Sunday 20th May
Under 14 Boys – Sunday 27th May
Under 13 Boys – Sunday 3rd June
Final squads will be announced in early June.
Please note, that parking at Northbourne Oval is via the Donaldson Street carpark. There will be no car access into the ground.
