AUSCOAL Super has appointed former Rugby League stars Tony Butterfield and Adrian Vowles to its business relationship team.

AUSCOAL chief executive Bruce Watson said a key reason for the appointments was the fact that much of the fund’s membership was based in Rugby League heartland areas such as central Queensland, the Hunter Valley and Wollongong.

As well as having a Rugby League background, both men are well qualified in their own right, having worked and proven their effectiveness in similar roles in the past, Watson said.

The players’ football profiles “creates a good basis for initial discussions, and they’re going to work very hard to strengthen our already strong relationships in the industry and build new ones,” he said.

Butterfield, who captained the Newcastle Knights and represented New South Wales in State of Origin, was also president of the Rugby League Professionals Association (RPLA). Vowles is a former Queensland State of Origin representative who also played for the North Queensland Cowboys.

“Having two of Rugby League’s greats on our team is both an inspired and strategic choice for AUSCOAL Super,” Watson said.