Raelene Castle named CEO of Sport New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Former Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle has become the first woman appointed to New Zealand’s top role in sports administration.

Australia-born Castle, 49, was confirmed Wednesday as the head of Sports New Zealand, the agency which overseas funding and investment in sports organizations.

Castle was chief executive of Netball New Zealand before becoming the first female chief executive of a club in Australia’s National Rugby League, taking charge of the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2013.

She led Rugby Australia from December 2017 until April 2020, but her tenure was often contentious. She oversaw the Wallabies’ poor performance at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the subsequent resignation of head coach Michael Cheika.

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