Bay women ready for NPC challenge

PROVINCIAL: A Bay of Plenty women's team could be included in the National Provincial Championship this coming season. Pictured is Bay sevens player Ariana Solomon. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER A - 120114SP6

The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union will look to enter a Bay of Plenty women's team into the National Provincial Championship for 2014.

This will mark the first time the Bay of Plenty has been represented in the top domestic competition since the mid-2000s.

Bay of Plenty Rugby are hosting an auction in Tauranga on Tuesday, June 10, to raise funds to support the idea.

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union chief executive Mike Rogers said they had been working towards this for a while, but needed the funding and player base to support it.

He said the union was confident in their player base and just needed enough financial backing to support a team in the top competition.

"We have been working over the past few years to grow the women's game and now have good secondary school and club competitions in place," Rogers said.

"Our Bay of Plenty secondary school girls' team won the Northern Regions title last year and our Bay of Plenty women's sevens team competed very well at the Bayleys National Sevens tournament in January."

The Bay of Plenty women's rugby team also won a national invitational tournament in Hamilton last year, defeating Auckland Samoa in the final 44-0.

Selection for the Bay women's side will be based on player performance during the Bay of Plenty women's rugby competition starting on April 13, involving six club teams.

There will also be an opportunity for secondary school girls to impress and push for inclusion during the Bay of Plenty Secondary Schools competition.

The Bay of Plenty women's team will be coached by Pere Paul again this season, who co-coached with Charlie Hurihanganui last season.

The fund raising event in June will be held on the evening following on from the Black Ferns versus Canada match at Tauranga Domain.

The union would like to auction a series of items on the night including consumer products along with autographed and special items of sports memorabilia.

If anyone is interested in finding out about sponsorship opportunities or table sales for the fundraising event, please contact Cherie Hammond at the Rugby Union on cherie@boprugby.co.nz or 021 083 92367. Any auction item donated will be acknowledged in the programme on the night and promoted during an advertising campaign starting in mid-April.