Alkimos Tigers players Zephaine McIvor, Greyson  Gallacher, Cooper Northey, Bella Houghton, Alexia Hodgkinson, Rory Noonan, James Hamilton, Josh Whittingham and Jake Coorey.
Camera IconAlkimos Tigers players Zephaine McIvor, Greyson Gallacher, Cooper Northey, Bella Houghton, Alexia Hodgkinson, Rory Noonan, James Hamilton, Josh Whittingham and Jake Coorey. Credit: Supplied/Martin Kennealey www.communitypix.com.au d469713

NRL WA: Alkimos Tigers evidence of rugby league growth

Mark DonaldsonNorth Coast Times

THE burgeoning popularity of rugby league has resulted in the successful launch of Alkimos’s first junior club – and it’s already the third biggest centre in Perth.

The Alkimos Tigers are enjoying their first season in the NRL WA competitions, fielding 16 teams in age groups from six to 14.

President Shane Coorey, formerly of the Joondalup Giants, said they had identified the need for a club in the far northern suburbs given the only other option was Joondalup, where it would take some players more than half an hour to get to training.

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“Last year we established that almost half of the people playing at Joondalup were travelling from suburbs north of Clarkson,” he said.

“With the population growth from Alkimos to Two Rocks over the past few years, it was clear there was a large untapped area for rugby league growth.

“The club is for juniors only, with our juniors feeding into the Joondalup Giants senior teams.”

The club has five boys and three girls in the WA under-12 and under-16 teams respectively.

Coorey said the response had been “far better than we could ever have imagined”, with more than 200 children having registered.

The club’s “come and try day” in January was attended by more than 100 players.

Ninety per cent of the registered footballers live north of Clarkson, with more than half of them new to the sport.

Coorey said they had to turn away some players in the under-13s and under- 16s because they did not get the numbers to fill those age groups.

Based at Amberton’s Heath Park, the Tigers have quickly made an impact as one of the top three biggest clubs across 11 Perth teams.

Coorey explained Alkimos’s success on debut had been driven by an “intensive marketing campaign”.

Volunteers delivered flyers to letterboxes, created a social media presence and made appearances at local shopping centres.

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