THE two highest ranking positions in the Bendigo Football Netball League will be held by women after Carol Cathcart was today appointed the AFL Central Victoria Partnership and BFNL Manager.
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Cathcart’s appointment to replace Justin Abrams comes two months after Carol McKinstry became the first woman in the league’s 140 year history to be elected BFNL chairperson.
Cathcart has extensive experience in netball coaching and sports administration, having worked at the Australian Institute of Sport, WA Institute of Sport and Netball Australia.
In her eight-year tenure with Netball Australia, Cathcart coached the Australian 21-and-under squad for four years and was National Head of High Performance.
"I've been back involved in club footy and netball with Sandhurst this year and absolutely loved it,'' Cathcart said on Tuesday.
"Sport is the lifeblood of country towns... and I can't wait to be involved at an administration level.
"There is so much potential for footy and netball in our region and I'm very excited about where it can go in the future."
Cathcart said her netball administration experience had her well placed to manage football in Bendigo.
"I have a history of sports administration, yes it's in netball, but it was at high performance level and grassroots level,'' Cathcart said.
"It's about preparing, planning and that you know where you're going. I believe I have the skills to transfer from sport to sport.
"It's building relationships and communicating with people. It's not about telling people how to do their job. It's assisting and growing the sport and that's what we all want."
AFLCV region general manager Paul Hamilton said Cathcart was the standout candidate for the position.
“We are really pleased to have secured someone of Carol’s calibre to take on this important position,’’ Hamilton said.
“Carol’s experience in being able to deliver strategic objectives and her incredibly strong background in sports administration makes her ideal for this role.
“This is a time of great collaboration and opportunity for football and netball in the region and we believe that Carol will make a significant contribution.”
Cathcart returned to Bendigo last year to take up the sports manager role at Bendigo South East College and she is also coach of Sandhurst's netball teams.
Cathcart will continue coaching the Dragons until the end of the season. She starts with AFLCV on May 25.
