October 10, 2025 • 5 mins
The NZ Junior Girls Rugby Festival is taking over Wellington this weekend.
Organised by Global Games, the event sees 62 teams from across the country travel down to Lower Hutt’s Fraser Park for a three-day competition.
D’Arcy was joined by the tournament’s founder, Tyrone Campbell, to preview the event.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
The bigause growth theory in rugby is women's at rugby.
This weekend the n Z Junior Girls Rugby Festival takes
over Wellington. It's organized by Global Games. There are sixty
two teams across the country. They off to Fraser Park
and Lower Heart three days of competition. Tournament is hosted
by the same group who wills the Rugby Festival and
(00:32):
top Wal only a few weeks ago. We're joined now
by the tournament founder, Tyrone Campbell, to tell us all
about the event going down over the weekend. Get a Tyrone,
I'm good. You're still recovering from your massive global festival
and Topaul of rugby doing it all over again. You've
got the why Heney up and running this weekend.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Yeah, we haven'tdeed. Touple was absolutely phenomenal. One hundred and
twenty odd teams living their best lives and yeah we
get up and go again this week and down in
Fraser Park and Lower Hutt.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
What's different anything at all from what you did in Topaul.
I'm presuming are there as many teams? There are more teams.
What's the drill there?
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Very similar, not as many teams, sixty five teams, but
these are all girls teams, So sixty five teams from
the far North to the deep South and everywhere in between.
So we've got under teams through the under fifteens and yeah,
basically girls down here playing for their class or schools
and yet just doing what they do best, having the
(01:39):
time of their lives.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
So this is the fourth year now you've had it
for Wahima. What's changed over the program over the four years?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I think since the Rugby World Cup here in New Zealand.
We actually that's how it started. We were running the
top or event and Rugby will Cup wanted to do
some promotions at the event to promote the upcoming Rugby
World Cup and one of the ladies said, I why
don't you an activation a mini tournament, which we did.
(02:08):
We ran out of Ponsonby Rugby Club and the uptake
was just just phenomenal where she didn't have enough grounds
to be honest, and even at that first year, it
was just so beautiful. A lot of the World Cup
teams came down and hung out with the girls, and
Rugby World Cup was kind enough to give us tickets,
so all the teams that attended we were able to
(02:30):
attend some Rugby World Cup matches and then the following
year we took it to Canterbury and ran it down there,
and then we took it back to Oakland last year
and we've just been moving around to the Sharans and
Lower Heart thanks to supported the part City Council here
and it's just got bigger and bigger each year. So yes,
it's the Rugby World Cup. The growth and the girls
(02:50):
and women's game has been phenomenal, particularly at that grassroots level,
and I guess our events is providing a platform for
girls to play in girls only teams. A lot of
the girls that attending generally play with the with the
boys that they've been able to team up with other
clubs and put together girls only teams and come down
and play against other teams from around the country.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Where do you get support financially and in any other
way and in other space to do ins help out
local super teams? Who do you lean on?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Basically, yeah, no support from India. I wanted to rugby
been awesome, Hut City Council massive, massive supporters, but basically
that the Global Games is a user pay so the
teams that are that are attending that they pay an
entry fee and they they fundraise everything from chopping farwood
(03:45):
to car washers and and everything from between to make
it happen. And the thing with you know, as you know,
communities get right and behind their young people to provide
these these opportunities and and no different to talk a
lot of the girls that are coming down in Lowerhart,
many of them are leaving their home regions for the
very first time. So it's a very special event in
(04:06):
that regard and connecting so many different communities from across
the country.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
New Zealand Junior Girls Rugby Festival at Fraser Park. So
what does that encompass age wise.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Under tens through the under fifteens, And we've got tackle
grades from the undertenents under fifteens as well as REP
grades as well. And the growth around Rep braak Bear
has been phenomenal and that's a real gateway obviously for
girls to give the game a go and then transition
into tackle.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
So over the whole weekend you had yesterday, you've got
it today Sunday as well at Fraser Park.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Yeah, Sunday we finish up and christ Gimen will be
around one o'clock on the Sunday, and yeah, it's just awesome.
I mean, I mean we've got little Old Shannon. I
think the population sixteen hundred, basically every single girl in
the town is playing because they've got six girls teams.
I mean, one of their teams is a little bit short,
so I've even chucked to of my girls and to
(05:03):
prop the numbers up. But sex girls teams from Shado
and it's pretty phenomenal in the population sixteen hundred, So
you know, it's a big deal for little towns like that.
And I'm sure pretty much all those sixteen hundred residents
will be down here chairing on their girls.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Why do people and teams keep coming back to the
Junior Girls Festival? Not Tope or with a lot of
the blokes, but why the girls. Why do they keep
coming back again?
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Ah, they just status love it. I Mean the whole
cropp around the Global Games is, you know, we don't
care where you're from, who you represent. You know, it's
just come along and let's celebrate through our kids. Because
I guess in a world where we seem to be
so divided, the one thing we can all agree on,
is we love our kids and we already kind of
(05:48):
pump that you give it the juice around. Hey, let's
just celebrate our kids. Let them do what they do best,
which is have fun.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk Said THEE on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
The bigause growth theory in rugby is women's at rugby.
This weekend the n Z Junior Girls Rugby Festival takes
over Wellington. It's organized by Global Games. There are sixty
two teams across the country. They off to Fraser Park
and Lower Heart three days of competition. Tournament is hosted
by the same group who wills the Rugby Festival and
(00:32):
top Wal only a few weeks ago. We're joined now
by the tournament founder, Tyrone Campbell, to tell us all
about the event going down over the weekend. Get a Tyrone,
I'm good. You're still recovering from your massive global festival
and Topaul of rugby doing it all over again. You've
got the why Heney up and running this weekend.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Yeah, we haven'tdeed. Touple was absolutely phenomenal. One hundred and
twenty odd teams living their best lives and yeah we
get up and go again this week and down in
Fraser Park and Lower Hutt.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
What's different anything at all from what you did in Topaul.
I'm presuming are there as many teams? There are more teams.
What's the drill there?
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Very similar, not as many teams, sixty five teams, but
these are all girls teams, So sixty five teams from
the far North to the deep South and everywhere in between.
So we've got under teams through the under fifteens and yeah,
basically girls down here playing for their class or schools
and yet just doing what they do best, having the
(01:39):
time of their lives.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
So this is the fourth year now you've had it
for Wahima. What's changed over the program over the four years?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I think since the Rugby World Cup here in New Zealand.
We actually that's how it started. We were running the
top or event and Rugby will Cup wanted to do
some promotions at the event to promote the upcoming Rugby
World Cup and one of the ladies said, I why
don't you an activation a mini tournament, which we did.
(02:08):
We ran out of Ponsonby Rugby Club and the uptake
was just just phenomenal where she didn't have enough grounds
to be honest, and even at that first year, it
was just so beautiful. A lot of the World Cup
teams came down and hung out with the girls, and
Rugby World Cup was kind enough to give us tickets,
so all the teams that attended we were able to
(02:30):
attend some Rugby World Cup matches and then the following
year we took it to Canterbury and ran it down there,
and then we took it back to Oakland last year
and we've just been moving around to the Sharans and
Lower Heart thanks to supported the part City Council here
and it's just got bigger and bigger each year. So yes,
it's the Rugby World Cup. The growth and the girls
(02:50):
and women's game has been phenomenal, particularly at that grassroots level,
and I guess our events is providing a platform for
girls to play in girls only teams. A lot of
the girls that attending generally play with the with the
boys that they've been able to team up with other
clubs and put together girls only teams and come down
and play against other teams from around the country.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Where do you get support financially and in any other
way and in other space to do ins help out
local super teams? Who do you lean on?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Basically, yeah, no support from India. I wanted to rugby
been awesome, Hut City Council massive, massive supporters, but basically
that the Global Games is a user pay so the
teams that are that are attending that they pay an
entry fee and they they fundraise everything from chopping farwood
(03:45):
to car washers and and everything from between to make
it happen. And the thing with you know, as you know,
communities get right and behind their young people to provide
these these opportunities and and no different to talk a
lot of the girls that are coming down in Lowerhart,
many of them are leaving their home regions for the
very first time. So it's a very special event in
(04:06):
that regard and connecting so many different communities from across
the country.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
New Zealand Junior Girls Rugby Festival at Fraser Park. So
what does that encompass age wise.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Under tens through the under fifteens, And we've got tackle
grades from the undertenents under fifteens as well as REP
grades as well. And the growth around Rep braak Bear
has been phenomenal and that's a real gateway obviously for
girls to give the game a go and then transition
into tackle.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
So over the whole weekend you had yesterday, you've got
it today Sunday as well at Fraser Park.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Yeah, Sunday we finish up and christ Gimen will be
around one o'clock on the Sunday, and yeah, it's just awesome.
I mean, I mean we've got little Old Shannon. I
think the population sixteen hundred, basically every single girl in
the town is playing because they've got six girls teams.
I mean, one of their teams is a little bit short,
so I've even chucked to of my girls and to
(05:03):
prop the numbers up. But sex girls teams from Shado
and it's pretty phenomenal in the population sixteen hundred, So
you know, it's a big deal for little towns like that.
And I'm sure pretty much all those sixteen hundred residents
will be down here chairing on their girls.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Why do people and teams keep coming back to the
Junior Girls Festival? Not Tope or with a lot of
the blokes, but why the girls. Why do they keep
coming back again?
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Ah, they just status love it. I Mean the whole
cropp around the Global Games is, you know, we don't
care where you're from, who you represent. You know, it's
just come along and let's celebrate through our kids. Because
I guess in a world where we seem to be
so divided, the one thing we can all agree on,
is we love our kids and we already kind of
(05:48):
pump that you give it the juice around. Hey, let's
just celebrate our kids. Let them do what they do best,
which is have fun.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk Said THEE on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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