{"id":9253,"date":"2025-04-11T19:30:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T07:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/?p=9253"},"modified":"2025-04-11T19:53:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T07:53:32","slug":"west-coast-rugby-union-welcomes-new-ceo-josh-costello","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/2025\/04\/11\/west-coast-rugby-union-welcomes-new-ceo-josh-costello\/","title":{"rendered":"West Coast Rugby Union welcomes new CEO, Josh Costello."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>MEDIA RELEASE |<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>West Coast Rugby Union welcomes new CEO, Josh Costello.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The West Coast Rugby Union is proud to announce the appointment of Josh Costello as its new Chief Executive Officer, following the retirement of long-serving CEO, Mike Connors.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement was made at the Union\u2019s Annual General Meeting on Thursday night, marking a significant new chapter for rugby on the Coast.<\/p>\n<p>Costello brings with him a deep passion for the game, strong community ties, and a clear vision for the future of West Coast rugby. A proud local with a rich rugby heritage, he is determined to build on the strong foundations laid by his predecessor and ensure the continued growth and sustainability of the sport, from grassroots to schools to representative level.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRugby is more than a sport here. It\u2019s a way of life,\u201d Costello said. \u201cIt unites us on the field, in the stands, and in our communities. This bond is what inspires me as I step into this role, ready to work to ensure the strength and growth of West Coast Rugby.\u201d<br \/>\nCostello also paid tribute to his predecessor, acknowledging the scale of his contribution to the game on the Coast. \u201cI\u2019d like to thank Mike Connors for everything he has done for West Coast Rugby. His 31 years of dedicated service have not only built strong foundations but also created a legacy that has shaped our union into what it is today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He went on to affirm his commitment to taking the game forward, \u201cI am committed to being the face of West Coast Rugby, advocating for this union and working with our new R.D.O, the West Coast Rugby Board, and the community surrounding me to achieve great things. Together, we can ensure that rugby continues to thrive, not just today, but for future generations of West Coasters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>W.C.R.U Chairman John Canning, speaking on behalf of the board, welcomed the appointment with enthusiasm. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to working with Josh to achieve the goals of the new strategic plan. He\u2019s a young man with a lot of energy and the networks to make a real difference to West Coast Rugby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With a focus on collaboration, development, and innovation, Josh Costello is set to lead the Union into a promising new era, one that honours the proud traditions of the past while looking boldly toward the future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Josh&#8217;s West Coast History<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>West Coast Cap #1298<\/strong><br \/>\nFirst Game: West Coast v East Coast<br \/>\n21st September 2013<\/p>\n<p>Last Game: West Coast v South Canterbury<br \/>\n3rd September 2016<\/p>\n<p>Provincial Games: 17<\/p>\n<p>Club: Greymouth Marist<\/p>\n<p>We wish Josh all the best in his new position as the new Governor !<br \/>\nWe are sure he will be everyone&#8217;s corner &#8230;..<\/p>\n<p>#MightofRedandWhite<\/p>\n<p>Greymouth Star<br \/>\n| Bill Phillips &#8211; DiGiSPORT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MEDIA RELEASE | West Coast Rugby Union welcomes new CEO, Josh Costello. The West Coast Rugby Union is proud to announce the appointment of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9254,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9253"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9256,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9253\/revisions\/9256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastrfu.com\/wsct\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}