Irena Lateta has become the first woman elected to the Serbia Rugby League Federation board since its original formation in 1953, taking up the position of marketing director. An expert in the field, she saw her first game at the beginning of October 2021 when the national side defeated Ukraine in Euro Championship B.
Immediately drawn to the sport, she pledged to assist to gain more awareness and popularity of it in the country. “I hope that with my expertise in the area of marketing, I will be able to contribute to the continued growth of the game, which has recently seen the national men’s side move into the top ten in the world,” she commented.
“This is the first time I have been given the opportunity to help promote sport in Serbia through my acquired contacts. I also hope that my appointment will help to empower women in rugby league and also contribute to the development of Serbian women’s rugby league.”
SRLF board member, Radoslav Novakovic, added: “This appointment fits into our strategy to have more women involved in the game both on and off the field, and with EU-funded Erasmus plus project ‘Fair Coaching’ in which one of the objectives is gender equality and empowerment of women in sport. We are renewing our plans for a return to action for women, and three Serbian clubs have received a grant and support from Belgrade City Council for the affirmation of women’s sport.”
