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A 13-year-old girl is “absolutely devastated” to be excluded from a Wellington rugby league tournament because the rules state that her rating is for boys only.
The organizers of the Pacific Youth Cup told their team, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, that if they play Aayla Toman on Saturday, the referees will not allow the game to continue and the team will be withdrawn.
Previously, the team said he would risk disqualification and lose his points and play Aayla.
The rules of the New Zealand Rugby League state that the maximum age for men and women to play in mixed gender full contact rugby league is 12 years.
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Therefore, at age 13, Aayla cannot play in the boys’ league and must build her own team and competition, or move on to the under-15 girls grade.
But her mother, TK Smith, said it would be more dangerous for Aayla to play in the girls’ U15 grade than in a mixed U13 team.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara manager Ariana McGregor, who also leads Aayla’s club team, the Petone Panthers u13, said the “tough battle” to get Aayla to play in the tournament has left her “emotionally shattered” .
Rosa Woods / Stuff
New Zealand Rugby League rules state that the maximum age for men and women to play in mixed-gender full contact rugby league is 12 years, which means 13-year-old Aayla cannot play. in the men’s team.
“If we kept it on the team roster, they said they would have withdrawn the team from the competition, we couldn’t even play without points.
“She’s absolutely heartbroken and the boys are too … she doesn’t want the boys to miss it,” he said.
McGregor said Aayla will still wear the team uniform, but will watch from the bench, running the water on her teammates and participating in the team haka at the start of each game.
Rosa Woods / Stuff
Aayla will continue to instruct her male teammates from the bench, her manager said.
“She will also basically tell the guys what to do. I’m also going to equip her, but it’s going to be very difficult for her, ”McGregor said.
Aayla said she was devastated to be on the sidelines, but she was going to “yell at (her teammates).”
“We tried what we could to get me to play, but at the end of the day we just have to follow the rules.”
Newly elected Hutt South MP Ginny Andersen had been pushing for Aayla to play in the tournament and said it is “hugely disappointing” that she cannot.
Rosa Woods / Stuff
Aayla Toman with her teammates in training prior to the Pacific Youth Cup, where she cannot play.
However, after being in close contact with all parties involved, Andersen said that he had been working with Wellington Rugby League to “make some positive long-term changes so that we are not in this situation again.”
Wellington Rugby League spokesman Phil Roache said a women’s advisory group has been created to identify gaps in the women’s game.
The group will look for ways to get more women and girls to play rugby league in the safest way possible.
Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
Hutt South Labor MP Ginny Andersen said she is committed to facilitating positive outcomes for women and girls in rugby league.
Andersen said he is choosing to support the “best long-term outcome.”
“We can take the negative road and have a great fight on the field and everyone argue about it, or we can make some long-term changes that are beneficial to all the women who play in the league.
“Putting Aayla’s well-being first is the most important thing … I will continue to be on her side and strive for more opportunities for women to play,” he said.
Organizers of the Pacific Youth Cup did not respond Thingsrequest for comments.
A spokesperson for the tournament, which will be held at the Wainuiomata Rugby League Club, previously said Things those were the rules.
“We don’t change the rules,” he said.
