{{Short description|Australian sports executive}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}} {{Infobox person | image = Raelene Castle (cropped).jpg | caption = Castle in 2015 | name = Raelene Castle | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|ONZM|size=100%}} | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1970|09|30}} | birth_place = Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | education = | alma_mater = | occupation = Sports executive | years_active = 2001−present | known_for = | spouse = | parents = Bruce Castle (father)<br>Marlene Castle (mother) | children = | relatives = | website = }}
'''Raelene Castle''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|ONZM}} (born 30 September 1970) is a sports executive who has worked in Australia and New Zealand. She was chief executive officer of Rugby Australia from 2017 to 2020, before becoming chief executive officer of Sport New Zealand.
==Early life and family== Castle was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, on 30 September 1970, the daughter of Bruce and Marlene Castle.<ref name="birthdetails">{{cite news|last1=King|first1=Madonna|title=Raelene Castle: game changer|url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/raelene-castle-game-changer-20141208-122e2o.html|accessdate=30 March 2018|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=7 December 2014|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330211512/https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/raelene-castle-game-changer-20141208-122e2o.html|archive-date=30 March 2018}}</ref> Both of her parents represented New Zealand internationally in sports: her father as a rugby league footballer and her mother as a lawn bowler.<ref name="birthdetails"/> The family returned to New Zealand when Castle was six months old.<ref name="birthdetails"/>
==Career== From 2007 to 2013, Castle was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Netball New Zealand.<ref name="New Bulldogs CEO">{{cite web|url=https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/new-zealander-raelene-castle-appointed-ne-ceo-bull/1887035/|title=New Zealander Raelene Castle appointed new Bulldogs CEO|publisher=sunshine coast daily|date=29 May 2013|accessdate=17 June 2017}}</ref> In 2013, she was appointed CEO of Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, becoming the first female CEO of a club in the National Rugby League.<ref name="Game changer">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/canterbury-bulldogs-appoint-raelene-castle-as-their-new-ceo-replacing-todd-greenberg/news-story/e2b9f5b382027a3a9b716964c5aec9c9|title=Bulldogs appoint castle|publisher=daily telegraph|date=29 May 2013|accessdate=13 June 2017}}</ref> At the end of the 2017 season, she was replaced by Rugby League World Cup boss Andrew Hill.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bulldogs appoint veteran rugby league administrator to replace Raelene Castle|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/95647278/bulldogs-appoint-veteran-rugby-league-administrator-to-replace-raelene-castle|accessdate=10 August 2017|work=Stuff.co.nz|date=10 August 2017}}</ref>
In December 2017, Castle was appointed as CEO of Rugby Australia,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/dec/13/rugby-australia-choose-best-person-for-job-but-castles-appointment-still-symbolic |title=Rugby Australia choose best person for job but Castle's appointment still symbolic |first=Kate |last=O'Halloran |date=13 December 2017 |work=The Guardian |accessdate=25 April 2020}}</ref> and served in that role until her resignation in April 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-24/raelene-castle-defended-by-rugby-australia-after-quitting-as-ceo/12180290 |title=Raelene Castle defended by Rugby Australia after stepping down as chief executive |date=24 April 2020 |work=ABC News |accessdate=25 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|agency=Australian Associated Press|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/23/raelene-castle-steps-down-as-ceo-of-rugby-australia|title=Raelene Castle steps down as CEO of Rugby Australia|date=2020-04-23|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-04-27|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In December 2020, Castle took up a role as CEO of Sport New Zealand<ref>{{cite web |title=Raelene Castle, Chief Executive |url=https://sportnz.org.nz/about/our-structure/raelene-castle/ |website=Sport New Zealand |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref> following contract work on Sport New Zealand's ''Strengthen and Adapt'' project.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/lockerroom/new-sport-nz-boss-raelene-castle-brings-her-battle-scars |title=New Sport NZ boss Raelene Castle brings her battle scars |first=Suzanne |last= McFadden |date=4 November 2020 |access-date=30 January 2021 |work=Newsroom}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Financial support for the sector due to COVID-19 Tautoko ā-pūtea |url=https://sportnz.org.nz/covid-19-response/financial-support-for-the-sector-due-to-covid-19/ |website=Sport New Zealand |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref>
==Honours== In the 2015 New Year Honours, Castle was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to sport and business.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2015 | title=New Year honours list 2015 |date=31 December 2014 | publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | accessdate=20 February 2018}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{succession box|title= Australian Rugby Union CEO |before=Bill Pulver |after=Rob Clarke (interim) |years=2017–2020}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castle, Raelene}} Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Australian sports executives and administrators Category:New Zealand sports executives and administrators Category:New Zealand rugby league administrators Category:Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Category:People from Wagga Wagga Category:Australian women chief executives Category:New Zealand women chief executives Category:New Zealand netball administrators