The Hunter mining industry is backing female sport – and stepping up its support for the Newcastle Knights in the 2021 Tarsha Gale Cup.
The NSW Minerals Council will take on the major sponsorship of the NRL club’s women’s rugby league team, the elite pathway into the code for under-19s.
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 them in elite sport, too, including at the Knights.
In a new initiative, members of the squad spent time with leading females 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 Knights, said mining and rugby league offered 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,” she explained.
“In mining, we’ve come ahead in leaps and bounds over the past 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 The Bloomfield Group’s chief corporate services officer Renata Roberts being named Outstanding Woman at the 2020 NSW Women in Mining Awards.
She hosted the Teamwork and Leadership Lunch and said 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,” she stated.
“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.
“We’re very passionate about what they’re doing in sport, their studies and we’re right behind them.”
Tarsha Gale squad member Kayla Romaniuk admitted she was surprised by the parallels between mining and rugby league.
“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,” she 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 extremely vital.”
NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said sponsorship of the club’s Tarsha Gale Cup team, along with the Newcastle Knights in the NRL, recognised the contribution women and men are making in the mining industry.
“This is our ninth season supporting the Knights and we’re proud to be doing more this year through support for the women’s side,” he added.
“It’s great to see the team performing so well and we want to help their success on and off the field.”
The 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.
Newcastle’s side for its next match, against the Canberra Raiders on Saturday, is: 1. Tylah Vallance, 2. Alyssa Shoulders, 3. Shanti Kennedy, 4. Mia Middleton, 5. Terri-Lee Van Wyk, 6. Kyah Watters, 7. Matilda Jones, 8. Kyahmoana Tevi-Fuimaono, 9. Monica-Lee Morris, 10. Kyra Simon, 11. Carissa Harrison, 12. Bree Chester, 13. Jules Kirkpatrick. Interchange: 14. Sophie Clancy, 15. Ebony Woodcock, 16. Kayla Romaniuk, 17. Kayla Waldron, 18. Montana Shoesmith; coach: Casey Bromilow
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