Raelene Castle


Raelene Castle is a sports executive who has worked in Australia and New Zealand. Most recently, she was chief executive officer of Rugby Australia from 2017 to 2020.

Early life and family

Castle was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, the daughter of Bruce and Marlene Castle. Both of her parents represented New Zealand internationally in sports: her father as a rugby league footballer and her mother as a lawn bowler. The family returned to New Zealand when Castle was six months old.

Career

From 2007 to 2013, Castle was the chief executive officer of Netball New Zealand. In 2013, she was appointed CEO of Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, becoming the first female CEO of a club in the National Rugby League. At the end of the 2017 season, she was replaced by Rugby League World Cup boss Andrew Hill.
In December 2017, Castle was appointed as CEO of Rugby Australia, and served in that role until her resignation in April 2020.

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.