After a false start last year, it's all systems go for the inaugural Tamworth International Women's Rugby Tens Tournament.
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Billed as the biggest women's rugby tournament, certainly in the country and possibly the southern hemisphere, the showpiece event is set for its first iteration on the weekend of March 23 and 24.
Originally scheduled for Easter 2023, organisers made the tough and disappointing call to postpone it after being unable to attract sufficient teams to make it feasible.
One of the steps they took following that was to survey the teams that had registered, and shown interest, for feedback on when the best time to hold it was.
The results, tournament organiser Bill Fitzgerald told media on Wednesday, showed a preference for "a standard weekend" as opposed to Easter.
The March date also fitted perfectly as a pre-season hit-out.
Fitzgerald said they have had interest from teams around the country and even overseas, and indicated there are a few teams from inter-state that have signed up.
He won't know final team numbers until after the registration cut-off on February 28, but said they are tracking better than last year, although they "could do with a few more".
Regardless, the tournament will be going ahead, he said.
"We have more teams than last year when we decided to postpone, so we are running this year," he said.
"If it's limited teams, it's limited teams."
Along with the change of date, the other significant change is the introduction of an under 16s division.
Fitzgerald said the interest has been "huge" for that with the possibility of a couple of teams making the trip over from New Zealand.
"We feel that it's a big step towards continuing to grow the game, start at the grass roots and work our way up," he said in regards to bringing in the under 16s.
At the heart of it that's what the tournament is about - providing a platform to showcase women's rugby and ultimately growing the game.
Fitzgerald expressed his gratitude for the continued support from the state government and Tamworth Regional Council.
At the launch for the event last year, the government announced it would be kicking in $100,000 through the Regional Events Acceleration Fund.
That has been rolled over, as has council's pledge of in-kind support through things like waiving field hire charges, providing internal crowd control fencing and funding the cost of livestreaming the tournament.
Fitzgerald said the support has been "a huge help", with council also providing support for marketing ideas "and stuff like that."
To be played at the Plain Street Playing Fields, he promised a good "carnival atmosphere" over the two days.
