While the NRL is yet to announce the approval timeline for new teams, the Bulldogs are resolutely prepared and eager to embrace the responsibilities and opportunities that come with an NRLW licence.
The bid emphasised the club’s rich history, with a vision to elevate the women’s game, provide aspiring young females with opportunities to participate, develop, excel and compete on the national stage, all while fostering involvement in the game at all levels.
Bulldogs Chairman John Khoury said the club was dedicated to driving opportunities for young, talented females in the area.
”Our club’s history is steeped in tradition and success, and we believe it is our duty to extend that legacy to the women’s game,” he said.
CEO Aaron Warburton and Bulldogs General Manager of Female Pathways and Junior League, Barry Ward delivered the club’s submission to NRL headquarters last Friday.
Female Football Operations Coordinator Lauren Milner said the NRLW side would be the next natural progression for the club which is already heavily invested in advancing the women’s game and nurturing emerging, young talent: “We are really building from the bottom up. We have strong junior league clubs through our women’s programs, our Pups Elite Program, and various age groups. The NRLW is something we are all striving towards here.”
As a player in the Bulldogs system, teenager Olivia Vaalele dreams to be one of the very first girls to pull on an NRLW Bulldogs jersey and run out in front of a Bulldogs crowd.
“Just to see the little girls on the sideline, to impress my family and younger self, as well as any other little girl out there … to wear the logo with pride in front of the whole Bulldogs stadium or wherever I am, that would be crazy. I’d love to.”
Dogs pitch for NRLW licence
THE Bulldogs have made a significant step towards securing a place in the upcoming Women’s National Rugby League (WNRL) competition expansion, with the official handover of its licence application last Friday.
