Media Release 30 May 2013. Equal Employment Opportunities Trust

NRL club smashes the ‘Grass Ceiling’.

The Equal Employment Opportunities Trust is congratulating a New Zealand woman for being appointed as the Chief Executive of an Australian NRL club and is urging other sporting organisations to follow suit.

Raelene Castle is the new boss of the Canterbury Bulldogs in Sydney, and the first woman to be appointed to the role.

Ms Castle is currently the Chief Executive of Netball NZ and will start her new job in July.

The Chief Executive of the EEO Trust, Bev Cassidy-Mackenzie, says during her six years at Netball NZ Ms Castle has increased its revenue by more than 60 percent and successfully set up the ANZ trans-Tasman Championship.

“I applaud the Bulldogs for choosing the right person for the job regardless of gender as often I hear about suitably qualified and experienced women being turned down for senior sports roles for no reason apart from their gender.”

Mrs Cassidy-Mackenzie says the grass ceiling of sports governance is too common and it’s detrimental to the whole sporting sector.

“I hope other sporting codes and organisations take notice of Ms Castle’s appointment and learn that women are just as suitable candidates for management roles as men.”

She is urging many local sporting clubs and organisations to stop ‘dropping the ball’ by by-passing women who apply for directorship and/or managerial roles.

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