By Tupou Vaipulu

The National Rugby League competition for Secondary Schools in Tonga kicked off today, 24 March 2023.

The day marked a new milestone for NRL in Tonga because the event highlighted ‘gender and social inclusion’ as they welcomed girls onto the field of Rugby League for the first time in any Tongan secondary school rugby competition.

“This is a milestone for NRL in Tonga because, girls are now included in a sport such as NRL, which has never happened before,” said the NRL Tonga manager, Tavake Fangupo.

The teams, consisting of three different age groups (under 14, 16 and 18 boys , and under 16 girls) took to the field with much excitement and enthusiasm.

Eight schools: ‘Apifo’ou College, Liahona High School, ‘Atele, Takuilau, Toloa, Acts Community, St. Andrews and Ocean of Light, started the competition, at the ‘Atele field, where parents, teachers and students gathered to support their teams. Each school had at least two to three teams.

Australian High Commissioner, HE Rachael Moore, attended with other VIPS including the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly,

Lord Fakafanua said: “It’s amazing to see girls in sports -  sports shouldn’t be limited to boys only, if you want to do sports you do it, regardless of your gender...You will always have my support and you should also surround yourself with people that supports you.”

The event will continue for six weeks as the schools contest the championship title.