Almost half of next year’s NRLW games will be pitted against men’s matches, in a drastic shake up to the women’s draw.
The NRL confirmed its women’s schedule alongside the men’s on Thursday, with a significant increase in double-headers alongside men’s matches.
The move is aimed to attract bigger crowds to matches, as part of a push from the Rugby League Players’ Association (RLPA).
There are 33 double-headers in total, with 18 of those featuring the same men’s and women’s teams in both matches.
But there are other potential impacts of the move.
Last season, only seven games clashed with men’s fixtures, or around 15 per cent of regular-season matches.
Ordinarily, that was during a Sunday afternoon game.
This year’s expanded competition will have 30 games clash with the men’s, representing 45 per cent of matches.
Two games will clash on most Saturday afternoons, along with one on each Sunday afternoon.
Women’s matches will therefore be moved to the non-NRL channel on Foxtel, while the Nine Network will broadcast the games as always.
The NRL are determined to sell the rights to the NRLW in the next broadcast deal from 2028, eying it as a way to increase player pay.
The season will kick off on July 3 with Cronulla hosting Parramatta, as one of three Thursday night clashes between Sydney clubs.
Games will also be played on Friday evenings in the final two rounds of the season.
Ratings have been significantly higher for weeknight NRLW matches, drawing in more than one million viewers.
The RLPA had pushed for players to be paid compensation for playing in those matches, reasoning they had to take time away from work to feature.
All 12 NRL clubs will have five home fixtures in the draw, while Magic Round has been introduced for Newcastle on August 2 and 3.
The Sydney Roosters and Cronulla will also have to wait until the last round to face each other in a grand final rematch.
“In 2025 there will be more teams, more matches and more innovation in the NRL Telstra Women’s Premiership,” NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said.
“The 12-team competition, now including the Bulldogs and Warriors, will be the biggest in NRLW history.”
The addition of Canterbury and return of the Warriors will allow the competition to go to a three-week, top-six finals series.
The top two sides will have the opening week off, while third play sixth and fourth play fifth in elimination finals.
The winners will advance to the second week of the finals to play the top two sides, in qualifiers for the October 5 grand final.
Check out the full NRL and NRLW fixtures here.
AAP
