'Big growth': Women In League Round founder on the rise of NRLW 11:00

Well, a great celebration this weekend, isn't it, team? Mark Levy, Alana Ferguson, Daryl Broman and Paul Gallen, the Harvey Norman Women in League Round. And the rise and rise of the NRLW is just sensational to watch. We've got an expanded competition now. And look, a lot of people are jumping on board and saying, how good is this to be involved in? But one of the real trailblazers and supporters of the Women in League Round is...

And the founder of the Women in League Round is, of course, Katie Page, our great friend, the CEO of Harvey Norman, who's in Birmingham at the moment, and she's on the line. G'day, Katie. Hey, Tim. How are you? Very well, thank you. In Birmingham at the moment, and I believe you've been to the Olympics as well.

I have seven days in the Olympics. It's the best thing I've done in my life. But now I'm sitting in Birmingham and I'm opening a Harvey Norman office for the UK here. And I just realised I chose Birmingham because Wigan and Warrington are only an hour or so away. LAUGHTER

Right. But I've got to tell you, if you hear Aston Villa's your team, they're into cricket. I've got Manchester the other way. It's really the centre of the UK. And it feels a bit like...

The demographics of Sydney are very similar to Birmingham. So there's a number of reasons I'm here, but we're already in Ireland and Northern Ireland. So now it's time to do the UK. 75 million people. Let's hope we...

We do well. Awesome. Oh, you'll do well just like you've done here in Australia, Katie. Everything you and Gerry touch seems to turn to gold. What was that experience like, though, in the Olympics too, Katie? I've been lucky enough to be covering it here on the radio with Ray and Libby Trickett and all our other wonderful commentators. It's just inspiring watching these Aussie athletes go for gold, isn't it?

When I saw the original renders for Paris, I said to Gerry, I'm going. I'm not going to go corporately. I'm going to go with some mates that love sport. So we've spent seven days just in this. Paris is amazing. What they've done is amazing. At no time did I not feel safe.

The police, the metro, everywhere. It was actually for community and it's actually been about all of their icons. So you've seen the vision back there, whether it's the beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower, you know, you've seen the Arc de Triomphe, all the stuff on the Seine.

I've been to a lot of swimming, naturally, because of Ariane, Molly, and, you know, last night watching Cam McAvoy with the 50 metres. But, you know, the other thing, suddenly you become exposed to the best athletes in the world. Like that Leon Marchand here is like the biggest thing ever.

And so you're starting to realize just how great and how important will

World Games, Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games to all of these athletes. Absolutely. And the way in which the Aussies are doing it at the moment, I think they're second on the medal tally the last time we checked. Phenomenal performances in Paris at the moment. Back here at home, Katie, the Harvey Norman Women in League Round. This is something you kicked off with the NRL a number of years ago and, jeez, it's just grown and grown and it's a great celebration of all the women in our great game of rugby league.

You know, we started that round 18 years ago. Can you believe that? And to watch how the women's game, we've got 10 teams this year go to 12 next year. But you've got to congratulate Andrew Abdo and his team.

on how they've worked on this, worked on this to make sure that it's got the prominence, that it's got the broadcast. Every part of it, you can see the work that NRL have put into this and the clubs have put into this.

to get it to this point. Like, I can start something, I'm a sponsor, but really it's the team at the NRL that have to grab something, go for it, and boy, have they done a great job. You know what, Katie, I'll never forget when you came into my Gillaroos camp. I mean, it was years ago now. Hi, Alana. Hello, mate. How are you? But, you know, in this world, you

you come across people, you meet people that are so genuine and have an immediate impact on you. And when you came into our camp and for everyone at home that knows that Katie Page is behind Women in League Round, I don't think people will understand the enormity of what you've actually done within particularly Women's Rugby League and obviously the space that I've been connected. But just how genuine you were when you were with us, when you were spending time with us, asking questions about

where we were at, where we wanted to be, how you could help. But I know you gave so much credit to the NRL and of course it's about sharing that credit and they had to make it happen as well. But,

We, the game would not be in the position that it was, that it is at the moment with you just being able to set that visibility, but investing because we've always had the women here that wanted to play, but it takes people and powerful people. And you're one of those to truly believe and invest in the game. And you are such a huge part of showing the NRL and showing everyone that, you know what, this is the real deal. Let's make it happen. So yeah,

Congratulations for everything you've done. Thank you for everything you've done so that the women in our game are recognised. They're being seen. My kids are growing up in a world where it is normal and it's incredible. But what about for Women in League this year? What makes it so significant or what makes it extra special for you this year, Katie?

Just one thing you said there, which I talk to people about, this is an investment, it's not a cost. And I'm in a position, my company's in a position where we can invest and people have to invest in sport. It covers so many bases from grassroots, bringing those young ones through that participation piece.

And you look at the number of female participants that you've now got in the game. This year it was, I've been given the figure of 45,000. Three years ago it was 24,000. And the big growth is the 10 to 15-year-old young girls coming through. But one of the things we've added this year is, well, there's a couple of things, but I really like we're doing two internships.

and that's paid part-time to work at the NRL and Harvey Norman so that you can see the inner workings of a great sporting code plus a

a great ASX company, how it works. And it's also for the NRL executives that are going to do the mentoring piece. They've got 20 female employees. They're going to do that mentoring piece amongst and doing it with the clubs as well. So we're really getting into more of the minutiae of now what are the possibilities if you're female in the game of rugby league?

So we talk about the players, we talk about broadcasts, and we've for some time been talking about there are so many parts to this game that you can be involved with, whether it's, you know, player, coach, referee, but also, you know, running the game. How do you run a club? Can you become a commissioner? What does it take to do all of those things and have a say? So I really love that that's been added to this year.

Katie, I'd just like to thank you for what you've done forever. You've been a major sponsor here at this station forever and ever, and you've certainly piled a lot of money into the football side of it here as well. But just in rugby league in general, you and Jerry have done a phenomenal job in

you know, really looking after the NRL. And I know it's not just the NRL. It's probably just about every sport you can name. But Harvey Norman is just synonymous with any sporting organisation. You tip your money in. You don't have to, but you do. And I just think it's phenomenal what you do. And I noticed in tonight's game with Sharks and the Rabbitohs, there's an initiative that you guys, I think, have got behind here where you're going to donate $1,000 to

to the Ovarian Cancer Australia for every successful conversion during the game. And I think the NRL is going to match it. And that's on the back of an initiative you have for, I think it's a young girl, is it Tyrion Wilkinson, an 11-year-old Sharks fan who recently declared she's cancer-free after battling stage four ovarian cancer. It's brilliant.

But, you know, it goes hand in hand, Darrell, actually, because you're helping community. And, you know, I took Gerry, I think we spoke about it last year, I took Gerry to that first State of Origin game at North Sydney about six years ago where it was...

broadcast on maybe the secondary channel but I took him along so he could see how far the girls had come the quality of the game and why it should be on primetime TV now come to this year

and have a look at those numbers. Have a look. I was looking at and talking to the girls in camp and just looking at how far they've come because I've now got everything that the guys, not everything, their

They're still working on it. Maybe they're 80% of where they have the investment in whether it's strength coaching, whatever it may be, and just how far the games come. And those girls are elite athletes and they deserve to have the visibility just like the guys do. And you can see it delivers the numbers. So, you know, there's so many parts to it, Darrell, that

all come back to me and Gerry to community and that investment in sport and people. Fantastic. It's brilliant what you've done. I mean, over the years, you've just been... Absolutely. You've tipped so much money into all sports. Good on you. Yeah, well done. Well done to you and to Gerry and thank you for your sponsorship of this program over many, many years as well. Katie, we'll let you keep at it over there in Birmingham. Cheer on those Aussies and as we continue to celebrate the Harvey Norman Women in League Round. Thanks so much for your support.

Thanks, Mark. I'm off to sell some fridges. Too good, Katie. What a legend. Catch you soon. Katie Page, she is one of the nicest people I think I've ever met. So well done to Katie and Gerry. The Harvey Norman Women in League Round, 18 years, I think she said, just unbelievable. So yes, they are a major sponsor of ours on the Continuous Call team. We need to declare that and right across the network. But their investment in rugby league is just phenomenal, as Darrell mentioned.