The Wallaroos, Australia's national women's rugby team, "will not be paid" to represent the country at the Women's Rugby World Cup in August, "but things are looking bright, with a fundraising campaign and another jersey sponsor set to give the team every chance of success," according to Tom Decent of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The national women's program "is kept afloat by the Australian Rugby Union and is understood to cost it" about A$500,000 ($382,600) each year. The ARU pays for "accommodation, flights, food and whatever is required for its XVs athletes, but stops short of paying a salary or match payments." Australia's contracted female sevens players are understood to be paid A$20,000-A$50,000 ($15,300-$38,300) by the ARU, before sponsorship payments and Olympic grants from the Australian Sports Commission are taken into consideration. The ARU announced at the Super Rugby season launch on Monday that Vodafone had "come on board as back-of-jersey sponsors for the Wallaroos, to go with the Buildcorp logo that will adorn the front of jerseys." A sevens Gold Medal in Rio "has promoted the image of women's rugby in Australia, and there is a desire to give the Wallaroos every chance to keep that going." The Australian women's sevens team "received funding from the Australian Sports Foundation before the Olympics" from a pool of A$1.8M donated to rugby across different formats. Another funding campaign "has been set up for the Wallaroos to give them professional support, in addition to what the ARU will provide financially" (SMH, 2/14).
