Outgoing Richmond President Peggy O'Neal has secured her next role ahead of her Punt Road departure, with the iconic Tigers boss to take on a leading role for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
O'Neal announced she will step down from her trailblazing presidency at Richmond this year, a tenure that has overseen the club's re-emergence as a powerhouse outfit in the AFL to win three premierships in four years.
The West Virginian-born Tigers powerbroker is set to transition her expertise to a more international stage, having been appointed chair of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The Games will be held across regional Victoria, including Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Gippsland, with O'Neal leading the charge following this year's Games in Birmingham.
"Victoria's Games will have an AFL premiership touch, Peggy O'Neal has been appointed the chair if the 2026 organising committee fresh from her role in guiding the Tigers to three flags," 7 News' Mitch Cleary revealed on Friday.
"It's the latest sporting appointment for O'Neal. In 2017 she became the first female president to taste AFL.
"[O'Neal] will step down from her position with the Tigers at the end of the current season.
"She'll oversee the next Commonwealth Games in our own backyard, split between Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland.
"The state government expecting those 2026 Games to contribute more than $3 billion to the state's economy."
O'Neal expressed her excitement to take on the role when speaking to media this week.
“I love sport and what it means for communities across Victoria,” O'Neal said.
“I am delighted to be part of the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games and to work with the Board, to ensure that the diverse voices in our State are heard as we make decisions throughout the delivery of the Games.”
O'Neal will leave her successful post as Richmond's president in December after 10 years at Tigerland.
