Cowra Magpies will welcome some of the biggest days on the Woodbridge Cup calendar after successfully securing hosting rights for the 2026 grand finals, with Sid Kallas Oval set to become the centre of attention.

The club’s home ground will host the Woodbridge Cup grand final matches for all three grades in late August, with league tag, youth league and first grade all to be played at Sid Kallas Oval.

Cowra Magpies Club President Bruce Wallace said the announcement was exciting news for both the club and the wider Cowra community, with the event expected to provide a significant boost locally.

“It’s great news, fantastic news for the club and team and sponsers,” Wallace said.

The Magpies secured the hosting rights after submitting an application through the Woodbridge Cup process, with the proposal then considered by the competition’s board.

“We applied for it.”

“There’s a procedure that you have to go through and put an application in, and then they take it to their board, and we were successful with our application,” Wallace said.

Wallace said he believed the strength of the club’s committee, facilities and ability to host a major event played a role in Cowra being selected.

“We’ve got a great ground down there at Sid Kallas Oval.”

“We’ve got a great committee, and I think that we can really do the Woodbridge Cup proud by putting on a good show for everyone,” he said.

The hosting announcement is expected to provide benefits beyond the football field, with Wallace highlighting the impact the event will have on local businesses, supporters and sponsors.

“It means a massive boost for the town and the club as well,” he said.

“Obviously financially, and it’s really great for the local people, the local fans, our sponsors, and basically the club in general and the players.”

The opportunity is also made even more significant by the possibility of Cowra featuring across all three grades on grand final day.

“The players certainly have the opportunity to have all three grades in it, so that’s even bigger incentive for us to be successful,” Wallace said.

With all three matches being held at Sid Kallas Oval on the same day, preparations are already beginning to ensure the venue is ready to host the major event.

Wallace said the club’s committee will meet to begin planning the logistics and discuss ideas for making the day a memorable occasion.

“It’s not going to be an easy process,” he said.

“It’s going to take a lot of thought and a lot of effort to get it all right, which is what we intend to do.

“We’re going to start early and have our preparation as best we can.”

While Wallace said the club had plenty of ideas to discuss, he was keeping details under wraps until the committee meeting had taken place.

The grand final hosting announcement comes during an exciting period for the Magpies.

The League Tag side defeated previously unbeaten Manildra on their home turf, marking the first time Cowra has defeated the competition powerhouse.

“They had a really, really good win on the weekend over unbeaten Manildra,” Wallace said.

“That’s the first time that we’ve ever beaten them, and we did it on their home turf.

“They’re going really, really good, and hopefully the seniors can adapt to their results and hopefully we can have all three grades here.”

Wallace said securing a grand final appearance for all three grades would be a huge achievement for the club and the town.

“I think it’d be great for the town,” he said.

“It’ll bring a lot into the town for the day, with a lot of extra people here.”

With planning now underway, the Magpies will begin preparing Sid Kallas Oval for one of the biggest rugby league events Cowra has hosted, while the club’s teams continue their push towards earning a place on their own grand final stage.