NSW Minerals Council sponsoring Newcastle Knights young women’s team in 2021

The NSW mining industry is backing women’s sport and stepping up its support for the Newcastle Knights young women’s team in the Tarsha Gale Cup rugby league competition in 2021.

The NSW Minerals Council is proud to be the major sponsor of the Newcastle Knights Tarsha Gale Cup team, the elite pathway into women’s rugby league for under 19’s.

An increasing number of women are excelling in leadership positions and non-traditional roles in mining in NSW and the industry supports the growing opportunities for women in elite sport, including at the Newcastle Knights.

In a new initiative, members of the squad have spent time with leading women from the region’s mining industry at a Teamwork and Leadership Lunch. They also toured the Bloomfield Colliery near Maitland.

NSW Minerals Council Director Katie Brassil, also a Director of The Wests Group which owns the Newcastle Knights, said mining and rugby league offer increasing opportunities for women.

“The community is very excited about opportunities for women in football and we’re so excited to be supporting them and their development too,” Ms Brassil said.

“In mining, we’ve come ahead in leaps and bounds over the last couple of decades. You just have to look at the winners of the NSW Women in Mining Awards to find wonderful ambassadors and leaders who are successful, committed and passionate about their work.”

These include Renata Roberts, Chief Corporate Services Officer at The Bloomfield Group, named Outstanding Woman at the 2020 NSW Women in Mining Awards.

Renata hosted the Teamwork and Leadership Lunch Leadership and it was great to talk to the Tarsha Gale team about the many different paths into a career.

“You can go through education or through other experiences. They’re in a field that is male-dominated and they will face challenges, but it was great to be able to say that you will overcome them,” she said.

“We’re very passionate about what they’re doing in sport and they’re studies and we’re right behind them.”

Tarsha Gale squad member Kayla Romaniuk says she was surprised by the parallels between mining and rugby league and she was inspired to hear the stories of leading women in mining.

“We learned about teamwork and women working in a male-dominated industry, which was a real eye-opener because it is our pathway in football at the moment,” Ms Romaniuk said.

“Teamwork is important in sport and it’s really important in the workforce as well and we learned how communicating with teammates and workmates is really important.”

NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said sponsorship of the club’s Tarsha Gale Cup team along with the Newcastle Knights in the NRL recognises the contribution women and men are making in the mining industry.

“This is our ninth season supporting the Newcastle Knights and we’re proud to be doing more this year through support for the women’s team. It’s great to see the team performing so well and we want to help their success on and off the field.”

The Newcastle Knights are undefeated after four rounds and sit at the top of the Tarsha Gale Cup ladder. The finals for the nine-round series begin on 10 April 2021.