Raiders ditch cheerleaders from NRL games

Cheerleaders will no longer entertain Canberra fans as part of game-day entertainment during the 2017 NRL season.

Canberra have become the latest NRL club to remove cheerleaders from their match-day entertainment schedule.

The Raiders have not renewed its contract with the external company which has provided cheerleaders for the past three years.

Local school dancers will instead perform for Raiders' fans at GIO Stadium as part of a dance competition during the 2017 season.

It's about 10 years since South Sydney co-owner Russell Crowe moved to replace his club's cheerleaders with drummers to appease spectators who were "uncomfortable" with scantily-clad female dancers.

In 2013, Canterbury chief executive Raelene Castle re-shaped the focus of the Bulldogs' cheerleading program on charity and fan engagement and traditional outfits were replaced.

But the Raiders said its decision was not made for similar reasons.

"This is not about the cheerleaders. It's about a point of difference," Canberra's commercial boss Jason Mathie told Fairfax Media.

"The critical thing for us was trying to expose our match day to a greater number of people, and the dance competition (gives) 20-50 people each week the opportunity to perform on-field."

Last month, cheerleading was awarded provisional recognition as a sport by the International Olympic Committee, meaning after three years administrators can apply for it to become part of the Olympic Games.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Raiders ditch cheerleaders from NRL games | SBS News