Frank Cooper has been appointed as the next Chairman of the WA Football Commission, effective 16 June 2010.
Mr Cooper, a serving Commissioner, will replace out-going Chairman Neale Fong who steps down as a Commissioner at the end of this year after serving 12 years, nine of them as Chairman.
The transition was formalised at a meeting of the Commission on Wednesday.
Dr Fong said Mr Cooper’s experience and commitment would stand the Commission in good stead to further the development of Western Australian football.
“In recent years, the Commission’s investment in community football and promoting the sport has paid dividends with outstanding growth in participation rates and record number of WA players playing at a national level,” said Dr Fong.
“The Commissioners unanimously agreed that, in line with our managed transition strategy, Frank is very well placed to lead the Commission as it continues to grow the sport, especially at the grassroots community level.
“I am stepping down with footy in very good shape, with spending on junior, community and WAFL football at record levels. In addition, our two AFL clubs are financially robust and participation levels in the sport have grown by 91% over the past 6 years.”
Mr Cooper, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, has been a Commissioner since 2007 and is a former Board Member of the Fremantle Football Club.
“As a Commission, our guiding objective is to ensure football continues to grow at grass roots level and in the WAFL and we have successful AFL clubs,” he said.
“On behalf of the Commissioners, I thank Neale for his enormous contribution to the Commission and to the sport.”
Mr Cooper will formally assume the role of Chairman on 16 June - the mid-point of the AFL season - which allows for a reasonable handover period. He and Dr Fong will work closely together to lead the Commission through this handover period.
As part of the handover, he will immediately assume responsibility for overseeing the Commission’s engagement on the development of a major new sporting stadium in Perth.
“I am thoroughly looking forward to the challenges ahead, including continuing to help find the best stadium outcome that can ensure that grassroots football can continue to be supported and for the people of WA,” said Mr Cooper.
“We live in challenging economic times with many legitimate demands on the public purse. Finding solutions that work for all of the stakeholders involved in the new stadium will require great understanding and co-operation from everyone, and football will play its part in this.”
