20 March 2024
New Zealand Rugby League is excited to announce that Kiwi Fern #103 Charlotte Scanlan, has been selected for the High Performance Sport New Zealand Te Hāpaitanga initiative.
Te Hāpaitanga is a holistic coach development initiative enabling more women to pursue and maintain careers in high-performance coaching in New Zealand.
The 18-month initiative provides a range of opportunities for a number of future female high-performance coaches to test and develop their coaching capability, and to develop new skills to navigate a complex and challenging career in high-performance sport.
Scanlan was one of only ten coaches from multiple codes selected to take part in the fourth cohort of this acclaimed HPSNZ programme.
Hailing from Manawatu, Scanlan’s successful playing career saw her most recently play for the Newcastle Knights in the 2022 NRLW competition. She then donned the Black and White jersey for the Kiwi Ferns in the RLWC later that year, for what would be her final campaign.
Following her retirement at the end of the World Cup, in 2023 Scanlan began making the transition from player to coach and began her new career path by taking every opportunity to deepen her coaching knowledge and experience.
Scanlan shared, “I love team environments and I knew I couldn’t just stop playing and not go into anything.
“I really want to see more females move into coaching roles… we tend to take the admin side because we are good organisers, but being a good organiser also makes you a really good coach.”
In 2023 Scanlan was part of the coaching staff for the Auckland Rugby League U16 Girls Gold Coast tour where the team went undefeated. She was then Assistant Coach for the champion Pt. Chevalier Pirates Fox Reserve Grade team, as well as the runner-up Akarana Falcons women’s premiership team.
Scanlan currently works for the One New Zealand Warriors as a Community Co-Ordinator delivering programmes such as the Tupu Māia girls health and wellbeing programme, and League for Libraries for primary and intermediate-aged children.
New Zealand Rugby League CEO Greg Peters says, “Congratulations Charlotte, what an amazing achievement in your coaching career to be selected for this esteemed initiative.
“Continue paving the way for women in rugby league, especially those aspiring to become involved in coaching such as you have. Well done Charlotte.”
Scanlan’s coaching calendar for 2024 is already jam-packed. She has been assisting with the Warriors SG Ball Cup team and is set to join the coaching staff for the Auckland Rugby League Georgia Hale Cup team to compete in Queensland this season.
Scanlan will then take the reins for the Akarana Falcons in the NZRL Sky Sport Women’s Premiership as Head Coach later this year.
Read more about the Te Hāpaitanga programme here.
