13 May 2021

New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) will be selecting a New Zealand Girls Schools (18s) team off the back of the inaugural NZRL Girls Secondary Schools Tournament in August this year.

NZRL recently announced the return of its National Secondary Schools Tournament for 2021 after a two-year hiatus coupled with the inclusion of the inaugural Girls Secondary School division.

The NZ Girls Schools team will play a fixture against either a domestic or international opponent, subject to COVID restrictions. More detail on the NZ Girls School fixture will be announced in the coming months.

NZRL GM of Football and High Performance, Motu Tony, says: “This is an exciting milestone for our women’s game that’s only continuing to grow in strength.”

“We saw the success of the NZ Schools v Clubs 18s fixture for the boys last year, and we always had the intention of emulating this for the girls.

The NZ Girls School team will involve the top performers in the inaugural Girls Tournament, just as the NZ Schools 18s team makes up the best of the NZRL Boys Secondary Schools Tournament.

“Being able to host this fixture adds an extra layer of incentive for our players and we hope to see the Secondary School Girls Tournament grow in strength each year.”

Auckland’s Pulman Park will play host to the 2021 NZRL Secondary School Tournament(s) from Monday, August 30, with all finals expected to take place Friday, September 3.

NZRL is still taking registrations for both Girls and Boys Tournaments. To register your interest in the NZRL Secondary School Competition, please click here.