The Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) has announced its inaugural gender strategy, which will work to advance gender equality in rugby league through an inclusive, safe, and empowering environment that enables women, men, girls and boys to participate and lead at all levels of the game.
The strategy’s creation has been supported by the Australian Government through the PNG Rugby League Pathways Development Program, which is working in partnership with PNG rugby league stakeholders to build stronger foundations for young women’s and men’s active participation and high performance in rugby league.
Developed through consultation with people playing, coaching and working in rugby league around the country and a collaborative design process involving PNGRFL, the PNG NRL Academy and staff from the PNG Rugby League Pathways Development Program, the strategy is aligned to PNGRFL’s vision of ‘Better People, Better Sport, Better Nation’.
It defines practical actions for rugby league stakeholders to drive progress for women and girls in four areas: participation (including coaching); leadership; visibility (including media); and safe and respectful environments.
PNGRFL is thought to be the first rugby league national federation in the world to develop such a detailed gender equality framework, and the first sporting organization in PNG to do so – leading the way in the Pacific region.
In announcing the strategy ahead of a bumper year of women’s programs and competitions in 2026 including PNG’s hosting of world cup matches, PNGRFL CEO Stanley Hondina highlighted the importance of the strategy that would strengthen women and girl’s participation in sports.
“In recent years PNGRFL has been prioritizing rugby league for women and girls as part of our overall strategy, and this document will guide us in focusing our activities and programs to have impact in a number of areas. This is not just about encouraging more girls and women to play rugby league, but it reflects our ambition to have more women in positions of leadership and decision-making, in off-field roles such as coaching and refereeing, our desire to amplify positive media coverage of women in rugby league and to make our sport safer and more welcoming,” he said.
Santos PNG Orchid #13 Carol Humeu, who represented the country at the last two World Cups, said she is encouraged that the up and coming players, both female and male, will be supported to equally participate in the national sport of rugby league.
“I have witnessed so much change and improvement since I began playing rugby league in 2012, and I believe the activities in this strategy will help to progress gender equality in and through rugby league even more,” she stated.
Mt Hagen Eagles Women’s Head Coach and 2025 Santos Cup Coach of the Year, Regila Wilfred, said: “It is a huge step forward that PNG rugby league now has a detailed strategy for making the sport a better and safer place for women and girls. In the Highlands it has been a long journey to build a professional rugby league environment for our women, and this strategy will help us build further on what we have achieved so far, and create opportunities for more women in other regions as leaders, coaches and players.”
Australian High Commissioner to PNG, Ewen McDonald, said the Australian Government was delighted to support this significant milestone for rugby league in PNG.
Having a structured framework for creating more inclusive, safer and more empowering rugby league environments for women and girls will have far reaching impacts on the nation and is an important step in PNG’s journey to having an NRLW franchise in the future.