Hunter rugby union: Hunter Wildfires rugby set for historic deal to pay entire women's team

The move is believed to be the first for women in Australian grassroots rugby union.

The Wildfires have competed in Shute Shield (men) and Jack Scott Cup (women) for the past two seasons and have been granted tenure in the Sydney competition for the next three years at least.

As well as a first-grade men's and women's team, Hunter will field reserve-grade men and colts.

Hunter chair Nicola Roche, who played for the Wildfires in 2020 and has also played for the Melbourne Rebels in Super W, said the move to offer all women's players paid contracts was "a big one".

"The current Wildfires have only been around since 2020 and initially it was kind of an ad hoc formation," Roche said.

"This year has been our first year to really put some more planning and some thought into our structures. We know we've got a bit of a tenure in the Sydney competition now. So we've spent a fair bit of time thinking about the future and thinking about the club that we want to be and the structures that we want to put in place to achieve what we want to achieve as a club.

"Winning premierships is obviously part of it, but being a sustainable club and having a supported player base that represents Hunter and country areas is really important to us. And our women's team are a huge part of our club."

The Newcastle Herald understands some Wildfires men's first-grade players were previously given financial assistance for relocation. This year, all first-grade men's players will receive match payments.

Payment amounts have not been disclosed but Roche said all 23 women's players will receive an equal "nominal" match payment.

"It really is a starting point," Roche said. "What we're saying is girls are putting in the effort to be semi-professional, there needs to be some recognition of that.

"To be the club that we want to be, we want to be closer to achieving equity, however that looks. That means giving the same level of recognition to women as to men.

"That doesn't mean everyone gets equal contract value but it does mean we recognise the contribution that the women make, and part of that is contracting them."

Roche believes the Melbourne Rebels are the only Super W club paying players. She said the Wildfires want to be a club which leads "change" as rugby union lags behind other sports, such as rugby league, soccer, AFL and cricket, who are now paying female players at the elite level.

Peta Salter is lining up for her third season with the Wildfires and the 23-year-old occupational therapist welcomed the news, set to be officially announced on International Women's Day.

"It is amazing, really," Salter told the Herald. "We were really excited hearing Nicola Roche speak to us about it. Everyone was getting a little bit emotional about it, just because we know that it's not something that all clubs are doing.

"We know that a lot of people aren't being rewarded for their efforts, so it meant a lot that the club appreciates us and values us as players."

The Wildfires women launch their Jack Scott Cup campaign on April 30.

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