The culture of the Perth club was drawn into question following a string of off-field incidents involving its players throughout 2006 and 2007, and led to the commission of an independent review of the governance structures and management processes of the club in November of last year.
Hendy Cowan and Steve Scudamore, who undertook the investigation into player behaviour and welfare at the club, presented a list of recommendations to the Eagles in February 2008 and, following an audit conducted in September, concluded West Coast had been successful in combating the cultural issues identified in the report.
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou praised the management of the club for taking strong action to rectify the situation.
“Under the leadership of chairman Mark Barnaba and chief executive officer Trevor Nisbett the club has implemented all of the recommendations [of the report] and has a continuing commitment to maintain and build its culture,” Demetriou said in a statement released on Tuesday.
The intense scrutiny brought about by off-field indiscretions involving Eagles' players reached new heights when former skipper Ben Cousins was de-registered by the AFL and led to the commission of a separate report by Justice Bill Gillard to determine if the club should be sanctioned by the league.
Justice Gillard eventually recommended the club not be punished by the AFL after he also found it had put in place a series of educational programs and committees aimed at improving player discipline.
West Coast Eagles chairman Mark Barnaba welcomed the AFL's response to the work done by the club over the past 18 months to address player behaviour issues.
"I spoke direct to AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick and chief executive officer Andrew Demetriou and they made it clear that the sanctions that had been in place have now been lifted. We are now on the same footing as every other club," he said.
"I want to thank our staff and our players for their hard work and for the support of the members and our sponsors over the last 18 months.
"I also want to send a clear message that we remain committed to the programs we have instituted at the club, and to the values we have entrenched over the last 18 months. This journey is not over, and we will continue to ensure at all levels of the club that we promote a strong culture that promotes leadership and respect."
