The first woman to join the Rugby League Gold Coast board says the female influence will only grow

SHE’S already made history as the first woman to join the Rugby League Gold Coast board but Jenny Peck believes her influence will be just the beginning for female footy fans on the Glitter Strip.

SHE’S already made history as the first woman to join the Rugby League Gold Coast board but Jenny Peck believes her influence will be just the beginning for female footy fans on the Glitter Strip.

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A volunteer and administrator with Coast clubs Mudgeeraba and Currumbin over the past 20 years, Peck last month broke new ground in becoming the first female member of the five-strong RLGC board.

Having held the role of Currumbin’s senior chairman for five years and served as registrar for a decade-and-a-half, the 62-year-old Palm Beach resident will oversee a seven-member RLGC subcommittee in charge of governance.

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And while she has no plans for a major shake-up of board operations, Peck’s role could pave the way for other females to follow in her footsteps.

“There’s so many women involved in rugby league now so I’m part of a team. You’re going to have other ladies looking to achieve that next step as well,” Peck, a member of the RLGC competitions committee last three years, said.

Jenny Peck is the first ever female to join the Rugby League Gold Coast board. Picture: Jerad Williams

“It is special (to be the first woman on the board). Up until this year it’s always been males but I’m really lucky, I’ve had some good mentors along the way.

“I just want to keep things moving and going forward for the committee that I’m on. It’s mainly just growing the game.

“There are two junior lady presidents – Te Ana Werahiko from Coomera and Karen Breen from Robina - and a number of women who now hold positions in clubs so (female involvement) is just growing every year.”

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Originally from Sydney, Peck moved to the Coast 20 years ago and spent two years as a volunteer at Mudgeeraba after her two sons joined the club.

Having then devoted countless hours to Currumbin, she now has two grandsons playing at Burleigh and hopes she can enrich the experience for all involved in rugby league on the Coast.

“My dad was involved in rugby league in Sydney. He had three daughters … so (my involvement) goes right back to dad where we’d go to football with him,” Peck said.

“(Joining the board) was a natural progression for me, starting from being a parent to committees. I’d come through the ranks and had been on the committees so to me (the next thing) was to stand for the board.

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“It’s probably a progression that I made and was thinking that if I got on people will see ‘this is where we go’ with girls’ rugby league now becoming so strong. (The role is) doing what I love best and going and talking to clubs and helping them out.”