Women Leaders in Sport recipient addresses gender equity in Queensland Parliament

27 October 2021

At just sixteen years of age Imogen Ruyg is a force to be reckoned with.

Imogen Ruyg addresses Queensland Parliament. Photo: Katie McCord, YMCA QLD Youth Parliament

Speaking in Queensland Parliament last month the Youth Member for Traeger addressed achieving gender equity in Rugby.

‘’Here, in 2021 I'm standing with over 15,000 Australian female rugby players to tell you that it is time to make female rugby more equitable and accessible. It's time to change the game, to level the playing field and tackle the gender play gap,’’ Ruyg stated.

Ruyg was inspired to speak after attending Queensland Rugby Union’s (QRU) women’s leadership workshop in June.

‘’In Queensland, we have over 200 rugby clubs, but not 200 female teams. We need to change these statistics to be 50/50.’’

The rising rugby star from Normanton quoted UN Women Representative Nicolas Burniat: “By supporting more women and girls to play rugby and other sports at an equal level with men, we can encourage social change by demonstrating there is no limit to what women and girls can do.”

‘’This is what leveling the playing field looks like, by getting girls on it,’’ Ruyg continued.

‘’Let us take the field with the mindset rugby gives girls, not the mindset society gives girls rugby.

‘’We need rugby to support women, as women support rugby. Go watch our game, go cheer us on. We need to develop appropriate gender equity policies. Our financial aid, medical assistance, benefits, and opportunities should be the same as his.

‘’We need to avoid the sexism surrounding rugby. We know rugby is male dominated, that won't stop us from dominating as females. We need to promote women and their rugby. We’re sick of seeing the boys in the paper when we won too,’’ Ruyg said.

Ruyg was one of 200 women to undertake the QRU workshop which is funded through Sport Australia’s Women Leaders in Sport (WLIS) organisation grants.