An update from the West Australian Football Commission Saturday, May 30, 2020 - 5:04 PM - by Steve Tuohey

Good afternoon,
 
Yesterday’s announcement by the State Government that restrictions will be eased further from next Saturday June 6^th to allow contact sport and group gatherings of up to 100 people, is great news for community football in Western Australia as we work towards a full return to play.
 
As a result, the WAFC will be updating its Return to Play Guidelines ahead of next weekend and working with all football competitions across Western Australia to help finalise their return to play dates.  
 
As we prepare to move towards full competition, we will work through a staged and planned approach with our many stakeholders. This will include working with Leagues, Clubs, Umpires and all volunteers to ensure we can effectively plan a safe return to football.
 
Importantly, we will need to work with Local Governments across WA to confirm venue availability and access conditions ahead of any return dates being set, whilst also working on fixtures, bylaws and player registrations.  
 
With this in mind, it is acknowledged that football competitions across WA may recommence on different dates and that not all will be ready to resume in line with Government restrictions being eased on June 6^th.    
 
This date provides a starting point for a return to play, and also provides the date from which full contact training can occur. This is an exciting outcome made possible by the terrific work of everyone in our community to follow the rules and demonstrate that we are committed to stopping the spread of Covid-19.
 
We will continue to engage with the State on the next steps and timing for the increase of spectators, as we appreciate that spectators play such an important role in supporting the financial viability of our clubs right across WA.
 
Over the next week, it is important that all clubs continue following current State Government restrictions and WAFC Return to Training Protocols, which includes the 10-point checklist. Training must also continue to be non-contact under current guidelines.
 
On behalf of the WA Football Commission, we’d like to thank you for your efforts to date and ongoing patience, support and understanding as we continue working towards a safe return to play.
 
Due to the significant financial impact of Covid-19 on our organisation the WAFC will continue to operate with a reduced workforce, with those staff placed on stand-down or reduced hours to remain until July 31^st.
 
Thankfully, these employees have been eligible to receive the JobKeeper payment while the WAFC has continued its core business with reduced operational requirements.
 
This has been an extremely challenging period for our team who have given so much to our great game. Thanks for your patience and understanding that our staff’s response times may be a little bit slower during this period.
 
Outlined below are the key contacts that will remain in place until July 31^st and be responsible for WAFC projects, football operations and assisting with COVID-19 challenges and issues. We would also encourage you to click here for the latest WAFC updates and information on COVID-19 and the return to football in 2020.
 
Thanks for your ongoing support of WA Football and the role you are playing in the health and wellbeing of our community.

Key WAFC Staff Contacts
 
Chief Executive
Gavin Taylor - Chief Executive Officer
gtaylor@wafc.com.au

Media
Steve Tuohey - Communications Specialist
stuohey@wafc.com.au

Talent & Commercial
Simon Moore-Crouch - Executive Manager Talent & Commercial
smoorecrouch@wafc.com.au

Male Talent
Adam Jones - State Talent Manager
ajones@wafc.com.au

Female Talent
Clint Degebrodt - Talent Manager - Female Programs
cdegebrodt@wafc.com.au

Commercial
Daniel Grace - Head of Commercial
dgrace@wafc.com.au

Digital Communications
Kate Harrison - Marketing Manager
kharrison@wafc.com.au

WAFL & Football Operations
Scott Baker - Executive Manager WAFL & Football Operations
sbaker@wafc.com.au

WAFL
Luke Sanders - WAFL & Football Operations Manager
lsanders@wafc.com.au

Umpiring
David Crute - Umpiring Manager
dcrute@wafc.com.au

Perth Football League
David Armstrong – General Manager
darmstrong@wafc.com.au

Youth, Community & Game Development
Troy Kirkham - Executive Manager Youth, Community & Game Development
tkirkham@wafc.com.au
Bradd Gardiner - Community Development Manager (Metro South)
bgardiner@wafc.com.au
Corey Ranger - Club Development Team Leader (Metro Central)
cranger@wafc.com.au
Andrew Ridley - Community Development Manager (Metro North)
aridley@wafc.com.au

Country Football & Facilities
Tom Bottrell - Executive Manager Country Football & Facilities
tbottrell@wafc.com.au

Facilities & Events
Josh Bowler - Manager Facilities & Events
jbowler@wafc.com.au

Country Football
Brent Sheridan - Manager Country Football (South)
bsheridan@wafc.com.au
Kane Benson - Manager Country Football (North)
kbenson@wafc.com.au

Corporate Services
Anna Lane - Executive Manager Corporate Services
alane@wafc.com.au

Governance Strategy & People
Linda Hamersley - Executive Manager Governance, Strategy & Workforce Planning
lhamersley@wafc.com.au

Sincerely,

Wayne Martin
WAFC Chairman