From Redcliffe to Roland Garros: Cheryl Jenkins Honoured for a Lifetime of Service to Sport

Cheryl Jenkins’ love of tennis began on the courts at Redcliffe Tennis Centre.

“I come from a tennis family, so Mum, Dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, even my brothers and I - we all played tennis.

“My Dad was the first one to get into officiating and I’ve just taken it one step further in that I’ve been very fortunate to make officiating my career.”

Cheryl’s career began on the sidelines as a ball kid. She progressed to become a line umpire, an international Chair Umpire and now Chief Umpire.

She made history in 2019 when she became the first female Chief Umpire of the Australian Open and only the third across all the Grand Slam tournaments.

“It’s important for those coming through to see that you can do this. I’ve been lucky to have the support of my husband and family as we’ve had children.

“They’re getting older now, so it’s easier to manage, but certainly when they were very young, it was quite challenging.”

Cheryl’s 33-year officiating career has taken her around the world and granted her a front-row seat to some the biggest tournaments and tennis matches in history.

She’s been a part of four Olympic Games; Sydney, Beijing, Tokyo and Paris.

“There are always matches that we remember most, and it’s not necessarily always the finals.

“The last two Olympics were off-court in my Chief Umpire role, which is really special because we get appointed to those roles - you don’t apply.

“Being part of finals at the Australian Open and seeing the Brisbane International grow to what it’s become today has been quite special as well.”

Cheryl’s critical role ensures the smooth operation of a tournament; at times she manages hundreds of international and Australian officials.

“The stakes are high, but you learn to deal with those pressures. Certainly, now in my role as Chief Umpire, it’s my job to get those Chair Umpires in a good headspace before they go onto court and make sure everything’s ok off court so that they do their best job possible to manage the match.

“When it comes to leadership, it’s about having a clear vision. It’s being about to communicate. Being approachable is very important.

“Coming from being a person on the court, having that experience myself - anything I ask people to do I’ve been there, and I’ve experienced it myself.”

Cheryl received Queensland Sport’s 2024 Service to Queensland Sport Award, which honours those who’ve made a significant and lasting contribution to sport in Queensland.

“I’m just a kid from Redcliffe who got into officiating and followed a passion and a love, and never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be recognised.

“It was very humbling and I’m very grateful that officials are recognised as part of that award as well because I do think officials, whether it’s tennis or any other sport, we all do give a lot and we don’t do it for recognition, but how nice is it that someone thought it’s special enough, and that they would recognise me.”

The Department of Sport, Racing and Olympic and Paralympic Games is a proud supporter of QSport, helping to enhance the development of sport in Queensland.

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