THE Bathurst Bulldogs are taking a big step in increasing their community reach by fielding a female team for the first time in the club’s 142-year history.
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The Bulldogs have joined the five-team Central West women’s round robin competition that has kicked off this season, playing against the Cowra Eagles, Mudgee Wombats, Narromine Gorillas and Orange Emus.
With their opening game against the Orange Emus already done and dusted, the Bulldogs women are still on the hunt for more members as the club looks to build up a strong contingent for the future.
Sam Pheils, who has the reins as coach, believes the creation of the team is an important moment to mark in the Bulldogs’ history.
“We played against Emus out at Cowra. It was a bit of a make-up game because we didn’t have the numbers, but we had a great run. The girls enjoyed themselves out there, had great fun and that was the main thing,” he said.
“We’re getting more and more numbers each week as the word gets around, which a good, and this is something really big for the club because it’s the oldest club in the Central West.
“I’m loving it so far. It’s been a great experience. The girls are awesome. I’ve been part of rugby for a long time and I think it’s great for the club and it’s great for everyone to get involved.
“We’ve got 14 players registered now, but the more the merrier.
“This is big for the Bulldogs. It brings a more diverse group to the club and it’s a new generation of players coming through.”
The majority of the team is comprised of CSU students, one of those being captain Lana Plews, who said players of any skill level are encouraged to join.
“We’re still looking for many more people, just girls who are keen to get out there and have a go. It doesn’t matter if they have experience or not, we’ll help them along the way and we’ve got a great coach here to help them,” she said.
“Hopefully we can continue seeing females playing here in the years to come. I don’t want this to be some one-off thing, I want it to be something that goes on for a very long time.”
Bulldogs vice-president Greg Reid is thrilled to see the female side steadily growing in numbers.
“The club has existed since 1874 and we’ve never had a female side. To have greater gender diversity at the club is fantastic. It’s great for us to be able to represent and involve more of the community,” he said.
“Teams play with between seven and 10 players depending on how many are available for each side. We’ve got 14 players on the books so far, which is a great start. We’d love to get more women involved in the game.
“This competition is obviously in its infancy and we’d love for it to grow into something much bigger. At this stage we’re still looking for a jersey sponsor and a team manager.”
The Bathurst Bulldogs women’s side will be playing this Saturday at Ashwood Park as they host a gala day against the competition’s other clubs, starting at 11am.