An update from the WA Football Commission

On behalf of the West Australian Football Commission, we hope everyone is enjoying the AFL action returning to TV and are looking forward to community football kicking off in the coming weeks.

Special thanks to the thousands of hard-working volunteers throughout our community for their tireless efforts in preparing for the 2020 season.

Due to COVID-19, the football economy has changed significantly and will be impacted for the foreseeable future. In response, the WAFC commenced work in April on developing a new strategy to outline and reset the structures and delivery models required to support football across WA.

Work is well advanced developing these new strategies and structures to help rebuild WA Football, focussing on the WAFC’s financial model, a leaner staffing structure and opportunities for decentralisation of some WAFC services and programs.

We want to integrate our own restructure into a reset and revitalisation of football right across WA. To that end we will be calling together key representatives of football at all levels for a facilitated Football Forum within the next few weeks so that all voices can be heard in the reset of WA footy.

At that forum we want to discuss the options for different models of service delivery, including options that devolve services and programs currently delivered by the WAFC to the WAFL, community football, and other partner organisations.

These possibilities are integral to our strategy that WAFL clubs become more relevant not just to community football but to their local communities.

In addition to the WA Football Forum, there will be regular meetings of a group representing football at all levels, to ensure that all segments of the game are integrated into and functioning well with each other. We want to ensure we have heard the views of WA Football’s key leaders as we set our new strategies to rebuild and reconnect football right across WA.

We have continued to work closely with the AFL during the COVID-19 crisis to support the planning for a safe return to football. With most of our competitions now set to resume, we will focus our efforts on exploring options to revise our Talent pathway with the AFL, as a major funding partner, the WAFC and WAFL Clubs to support both our male and female players.

Whilst major reform to our industry occurs, we will remain committed to the effective resourcing and rebuilding of our leagues, clubs and community-based football.

We look forward to providing further updates on the progress of this work as soon as possible and getting back to playing football at all levels of the game right across Western Australia.

Sincerely,

Gavin Taylor

WAFC CEO

Wayne Martin

WAFC Chairman