The growth of women's participation in rugby league has extended in recent years from the playing field and onto the once male-dominated football committees and board rooms.
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It comes as no surprise then that Nelson Bay Junior Rugby League Club has appointed its first ever female president in Brooke Hill, who in 2020 will head up a new look committee which includes secretary Lauren Cavana, treasurer Ryan Connor, vice-president Wayne Humphrey and registrar Nicole Moses.
A qualified lawyer and mother of three, Hill has for many years acted for the Real NRL board in judiciary matters and, alongside husband Ji Hill, has managed to juggle family life with work commitments while serving the junior rugby league community in a voluntary capacity.
She is also a level 2 sports trainer, she chairs a female participation committee and as her peers will attest, is an exceptional role model.
"Juggling work with football commitments can get hectic but it's just a matter of managing your time. I do it because I love it and I like to give back to the community and the sport which has given our family so much," Hill said.
Hill says a top priority for her first season at the helm was to field at least one team in each of the boys' age groups from under 6 to under 17, while developing female participation in both tackle and tag.
"We are still taking registrations for both boys and girls, but we are hopeful of achieving that goal, which in terms of numbers would be between 230 and 250," she said.
"Nelson Bay has a proud tradition of providing a strong rugby league nursery and we want to ensure the game continues to grow and develop.
"To achieve this we have appointed two highly credentialed and experienced former players [husband Ji Hill and his Northern Blues teammate Ritchie Kincaid] in the role of coaching coordinators.
"They will be developing programs and benchmarks for other coaches to follow, in addition to conducting coaching clinics."
Hill said that the Nelson Bay club would look to forge stronger ties with the Newcastle Knights, while also paying close attention to areas of mental wellbeing, the Good Sports program and the issue of concussion.
"I am working with Leanne Jenkins [sports trainer] in order to promote a better understanding and awareness of head knocks and the impact on young players.
"We are also proposing to run a Port Stephens invitational over four weeks for the under 11 and 12 age groups involving games, training and development.
"Longer term we would like to work closer with our Port Stephens neighbours at Raymond Terrace and Mallabula."
The club is seeking new sponsors in order to purchase a new strip for season 2020, with player registrations and coaches still open. For inquiries go to nelsonbayjuniorrugbyleague@hotmail.com.