Cheerleaders "will not return to perform" for National Rugby League side Canberra Raiders fans in '17, "with the club to invite local dance schools onto the field instead," according to Alexandra Back of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The decision makes the club "only the second in rugby league to drop its cheerleading squad," after the South Sydney Rabbitohs in '07. Raiders' Commercial & Marketing Manager Jason Mathie said, "This is not about the cheerleaders ... it's about a point of difference." Driving the change, he said, was "the club wanting to create more opportunities for women, and men and children, to get involved." Mathie added, "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." Rogue Dolls Australia dance troupe manager Melissa Gelonese said she was in "full support of the Raiders' new direction" in '17, but also "saw a gap left by the departing cheerleaders," who she said "did a lot of charity work in Canberra" and were "corporate ambassadors" for the club in the community and at games (SMH, 1/4).
