The WA Football Commission is embarking on a once in a generation review of football across the state which kicked off with a “Shaping Football’s Future” discussion last Wednesday evening which included two key not speakers in Simon Lethlean (AFL's General Manager of Game and Market Development) and Gavin Taylor (WAFC CEO).

Firstly from Simon

The AFL has come up with a new strategy following the signing of the most recent TV rights agreement which covers six seasons from season 2017–2022, and will deliver the AFL a financial return of $2.508 billion.

The AFL, under Gillon McLaughlin (CEO) has recently developed ‘6 key pillars’ in which it would like to develop strategy for the benefit of the code, these include:-

• People - Supporting and developing those that work for the AFL
• Strong Clubs - AFL Clubs
• Spectacular Game - continuing to ensure Aussie Rules is a great Sport for players and fans
• Revenue Distribution - Look at equitable distribution of funding.  Currently the AFL is trying to finalise negotiations with the AFLPA with regards to their piece of the $2.508 billion pie, following that they will set budgets in the other areas.
• Community Football - which included state leagues, Club football, female football was an area the AFL saw as needing more investment to build health into the code. The national Club football marketplace consisted of 253 Leagues, 2,672 Clubs, 13,873 teams and contributed approximately $2.35Billion to the national economy.  Nationally there was $125 million spent on Community Football (approximately half by the AFL) and potential for increased investment from the AFL.  Simon mentioned how the announcement of the national Female Football League had generated unprecedented PR and goodwill to the industry in recent months.
• New Fans - Australia has an increasingly large Multicultural population, so strategies to attract these people to the code were considered important by the AFL.

A slide showed that “Australian Football should continue to be the catalyst for healthy and vibrant communities” through:-

• Being representative and inclusive - embraces gender and cultural diversity
• Well supported & Sustainable - welcoming, safe and enjoyable environments
• Strong links between community and elite
• First Class Competitions - well managed and administered competitions at every level (exciting, even and well officiated)
• A National code responsive to local needs - football to be at the heart of every community, efficient national structure with investment into communities most at need

Gavin Taylor presented and begun speaking about the size and scope of the WA Football industry and thanked the various football bodies present in the room.

He also reflected on the history of the WAFC and some of the key learnings he had taken out of his first six months in the role of CE of the WAFC.  This presented The WA Football industry with a number of challenges / opportunities to continue to align and develop the WA Football industry, some of which included:-

• The Talent Pathway
• Female Football
• Youth Football Age Group
• Game day environments
• More productive relationships with the AFL, WAFL, Districts (including Country regions) and the Affiliates (such as the WACFL)

Gavin gave an update on the ongoing negotiations with the state government around securing funding to support the football industry due to the relocation (and loss of income) from Domain Stadium.  The WAFC was keen to have these negotiations finalised prior to the end of the year which would give the industry clarity around its future.

“In the lifecycle of any sport it is very important to continually review and assess performance and structures to ensure they are relevant for today and also the generations of the future. Since the WAFC’s inception in 1989 it has experienced significant success and growth and we are committed to ensuring this continues. Our focus is on ensuring the football system in WA operates in line with worldwide best practice so that we can ensure the health and success of the WAFL competition, community football, talent development, our AFL clubs and strong grassroots participation. We love footy and want to make sure it is in the best possible shape for future generations.

We also have a clear responsibility to provide talent pathways and quality competitions whilst also recognising the need for alignment and partnerships across all segments of the game. For this to be successful it is important that all levels of WA Football are involved in the review so that it is well-informed and strong recommendations can be made for the future development of our sport. We want to ensure that football remains the number one participation sport in WA and provides the best opportunities for people to get involved in our game and remain life-long participants.” Quotes taken from Mr Taylor from the WAFC Website.

The WAFC felt that now was the ideal opportunity to take a 360 degree review of the structures and running of football in the state to ensure football remains successful and sustainable. The pillars that will make up the review include:-

• WAFC - its role into the future
• Participation - review the current health of the game
• Community Football - our community competitions
• WAFL Competition - review the health and sustainability of the WAFL
• Talent Development - review the talent pathway
• AFL Clubs - review the needs and health of the 2 x AFL Clubs
• Constitutional Review - review the underlying governance of football

The review will be undertaken by the Boston Consulting Group.

If you would like to contribute feedback to this review you can register by clicking the below link.

http://www.wafootball.com.au/news/11134/shaping-wa-footballs-future