By Caden Helmers
Katrina Fanning has joined the Canberra Raiders board as the club leaves no stone unturned in its bid to tap into indigenous and female growth areas far beyond the borders of the capital.
Fanning, rugby league's most capped female player upon her retirement, has devoted herself to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their involvement in policy-making in recent years.
Katrina Fanning has joined the Canberra Raiders board.Credit: Raiders Media
Her appointment comes after John Mackay ended his 19-year stint which allowed the club to refresh its board and further improve its gender balance.
The Raiders now have three women on the eight-person board in Fanning, Yvonne Gillett and Bronwyn Fagan with club chairman Allan Hawke saying "our commitment is to get to 40 per cent of women on the board by no later than the end of this season".
But Fanning says the influence of women on the board is not simply about ticking a box - it is about bringing "a new dimension" to the table for the club that considers itself country's NSW team.
"Diversity always means we are leaving no stone unturned. One of the attractions of the Canberra Raiders board is that diversity is still about skills and talent brought to the table," Fanning said.
"It’s not about achieving a number, it’s about making sure where this place wants to go, we’ve got the faces around the table that can help us get there. There’s plenty of existing talent there that I can learn a lot from as well.
"There’s lots in the pipeline, and I come from the region the Raiders are about. I grew up in Junee and played in group nine as a really little kid.
"I’m passionate about the direction it is going but also understanding our responsibility beyond the borders here, into the broader Raiders fan base and potential player base."
The club has also outlined plans to enter a team into the NRL Women's competition when work is completed on the Raiders' centre of excellence at Braddon, having already entered a side in the Tarsha Gale Cup.
Katrina Fanning with Allan Hawke and John McIntyreCredit: Raiders Media
Such was Fanning's impact on rugby league in Canberra that the region's women's competition is called the Katrina Fanning Shield, and now the former Jillaroo wants to give the opportunities she had to more players.
"That’s incredibly humbling. I was lucky enough to play in Canberra at a time when in other regions our players weren’t as well supported, and at the same time as internationals came onto the scene," Fanning said.
"I really made the most of those opportunities, but I am really well aware that not everyone has had them. To have the Shield is really important.
"For me, a focus is the more people, and women in particular, we can give them an opportunity to lead their best lives."
Fanning's inclusion on the club board is another boost for the club as they look to boost the profile of women in rugby league at all levels.
Not only do they now have three women on the board, but the club also introduced a female mascot, Velda the Valkyrie, to join Victor the Viking last year.