The Warriors' women's side could be at risk of falling victim to cost saving measures, due to the financial ramifications of Covid-19, club CEO Cameron George warns.
Despite the NRL being one of the world's first sporting competitions to return, at present scheduled to resume again on May 28, the Australian Rugby League has been forced into cost saving steps of their own, with 20 per cent pay cuts for players announced last week.
The Warriors are one of four teams currently operating in the NRLW, involved in the competition since its inception in 2018 alongside the Roosters, Broncos and Dragons.
However, speaking to the select committee earlier today, George suggested that the Warriors could be forced into further measures, hinting at the future of both the Warriors' women's team and development programmes as potential areas for savings.
"The women’s game has grown significantly in the New Zealand rugby league landscape over the last couple of years and we’ve invested heavily in it," George said.
"We take that very seriously but it’s also an additional spend that we’re going to have to reconsider.
"We will survive, however there will be fallout from it. As I've touched on before, the NRL we cannot jeopardise.
"However, there are discretionary spends and options, i.e. the development programmes and the women's game, that we have to review.
"Because we won't survive if we have to keep those in place and fully fund them."
George did conclude by saying that the Warriors would welcome outside funding to keep the women's side afloat.
"If we can get some significant help from outside parties we will continue to invest and grow that sport, because it’s so important for the fabric of New Zealand that females get the same opportunity as males."
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