Community rugby continues to grow

• Record number of women and girls playing the game
• Record number of participants in Heartland Unions 
• Teenage boys’ participation up 5%
• Improved results in Sport New Zealand Voice of Participant Survey

Another positive year of community rugby saw a six percent increase in registrations across the board, with 155,568 players taking the field this season.

This included a 15% increase in women and girls’ numbers with 33,757 participants, a record number of players in the game. 

Heartland Rugby Unions are celebrating a seven percent increase in players, their 28,406 registered players also the most in their combined history.

The focus area of teenage boys' participation has also seen growth, a steady rise since Covid now sees 29,153 participants lacing up their boots across the country.

NZR General Manager Community Rugby Steve Lancaster said the continued growth in the community game can be attributed to the great work that Provincial Unions are doing across the country.

“Rugby continues to rebound post-Covid and I’d like to acknowledge the Provincial Unions for the work they are doing to deliver rugby in their communities.

“It certainly hasn’t happened overnight, but we are seeing the results of participant-centred opportunities that are meeting the needs of our communities.

“These numbers also show an increase in diversity in our game, across ages, gender and ethnicity, which further affirms our efforts to ensure that rugby is a game for everyone,” said Lancaster.

With more women and girls playing rugby than ever before, Lancaster highlighted the success of the Girls Activator programmes that have been run across the country for the past three years.

“With the support of Sport NZ, we have 30 roles across the Provincial Unions that are specifically targeted to increasing the participation of young girls in our game. The Unions have the freedom to tailor these roles and programmes to suit the needs of their communities and the outcomes speak for themselves.”

Off field the number of registered coaches grew 10% to 10,154 while there was a three percent decrease in active referees. “We know referees are a vital part of our game and with rising participation we need to see more people picking up the whistle, so it’s an area we’ll actively invest in,” said Lancaster.

Participants are also enjoying their time in the game, with the recent results from the Sport NZ Voice of Participants Survey providing positive feedback, with the some of the highest scores since 2019.

Within club rugby the overall satisfaction score was up three percent to 76% and tracks 10% above the 2021-23 All Sports figure. 

The Net Promoter Score, which looks at a participants’ likelihood to recommend the sport to others, increased by 6 points and sits 20 points above the All Sports average, while the Value for Money score grew to 87%, 13% above All Sports. 

Registration statistics

• 155,568 players, up 6% on 2023
• 10,154 coaches, up 10% on 2023
• 1,522 referees 3% down on 2023
• 33,757 registered women and girls players, an increase of 4,300 (15%)
• 4,200 more junior players in 2024
• 2,400 more teenage players in 2024
• 1,500 more senior players in 2024