The nib Newcastle Knights want a women’s team in the NRLW competition.
CEO Philip Gardner revealed he hopes to have a women's Knights team established as soon as the 2022 competition.
Having an established Tarsha Gale side and successful CRL Newcastle women’s team, the quality of players and pathways for female talents is in place.
Now, it’s in the hands of the NRL.
“We think NRLW is vital to the future of the game — we can’t alienate half the people on the planet — and it’s very important to us to have a license,” Gardner told The Daily Telegraph in a recent interview.
“To that end we have told Todd Greenberg (NRL CEO) that we will take a licence for 2022.
“He knows of our interest and is working towards that.’’
The second season of the NRLW kicks-off this week with just four clubs involved in the competition.
Those teams are St George Illawarra Dragons, the Sydney Rosters, Brisbane Broncos and New Zealand Warriors.
The Roosters team boasts several Newcastle products including Bec Young, while the Dragons have local Holli Wheeler in their side.
“We don’t want it to be like the Travelling Wilbury’s where you bring the girls in from all from all over the place,” Gardner said.
“We would rather have them from our region, coming through our pathway, into our system.
“That’s what the local women want. They want ownership of this side.”
Gardner believed a role as a NRLW coach could be a stepping-stone for the first woman NRL coach.
“By (20) 22 I am hoping we will have a female head coach of the (Knights) women’s team. I think that is a stepping-stone into them aspiring to be the head coach of an NRL side,” he said.
