Tens Tournament defends prize money gap

Organisers have defended the discrepancies in prize money between men's and women's teams at this year's Cowra Tens tournament, stating prize money will increase as women's teams grow in number.

There are currently four women's sides confirmed for this year's tournament, with 16 men's sides and two Oztag sides confirmed. 

While registration fees for women's teams is only $200, as opposed to $400 for the men, this difference isn't reflected in the prize money, which is $4000 in total. 

The winning men's cup team, which this year will be decided by knockout among sides in the top half of the draw after pool stage matches, will get $1800 from the tournament, while the runners-up take home $750.

Additionally, the plate awards, which this year will likely cover men's teams in the bottom seven after pool matches, still have a decent windfall, with men's teams drawing up to $600 for winning the plate award and runners-up getting $400. 

By contrast, the winning women's team gets $400 - less than a quarter of what the winning men's team receives - and the runner-up women's team gets $200 - less than a third of what the runner-up men's team receives.

The competition guaranteed entrants "four games and at least 70 minutes of rugby" in its initial tournament announcement.

Despite the differential, the prize money actually was an improvement on last year's amounts, tournament organiser Ben Casey said. 

"It's only recently - this year - that we've brought the prize money up… [it's] always been scaled in that fashion," Casey said.

"[It's] reflective of the number of teams entering for each gender, and we have had some years when we've tried to build it, we've only had two women's teams, and they've played three games throughout the day.

"But as you can get more entries you can justify more prize money."

Casey, who is working alongside Adam Meiklejohn to co-ordinate this year's event, stressed the tournament is keen to grow women's rugby in Cowra, saying he looked forward to when the tournament achieved parity with the number of teams that take part.

"It's certainly a spectacle in its own right now and it attracts a crowd consistent with the other games… The women's game is bloody good to watch," he said.

"At some stage in the future, maybe we're hosting eight men's teams and eight women's teams."  

However, he also added that the larger prize pool for the men's cup was designed to attract sides from Canberra and Sydney in a Rugby World Cup year where local competition kicks off earlier.

"[It's] structured there as a big encouragement for teams to come and have a crack," Casey said.

The New Holland 2019 Cowra Twilight Tens Tournament will feature several invitational and travelling teams, including the Greylands Invitational side, who will be going for their third straight title.

Gordon, Mosman, Woy Woy and Hills are all sending men's sides for the competition, while Woy Woy will also send a women's team. 

The competition takes place next Saturday at the Cowra Rugby Fields. 

Update (1.58 pm, 22/2/19)

In response to this article, Casey contacted the Cowra Guardian to let it to be known that while 75 per cent of women's entries goes out in the total women's prize pool, only 55 percent is used for the same purposes in the men's competition. 

Additionally, he also wanted it to be known that with the insurance costs the same for both men's and women's teams at $75 per team, stating in turn that the men's entry fees actually subsidise the cost of the women's competition. 

He also stated in conversations with the Cowra Guardian team that the Cowra Tens Tournament was the first Tens tournament in the country to introduce women's competition.