WAFC makes key staff appointmentsTuesday, July 28, 2015 - 3:20 PM

The West Australian Football Commission has appointed a new General Manager Football Affairs and a new Commercial Manager to ensure key outcomes continue to be achieved in both of these critical areas for WA football.

Jon Haines has been appointed as General Manager Football Affairs and Daniel Grace has been appointed as Commercial Manager.

Haines, pictured left, who previously worked as the WAFC’s High Performance Manager from 2007 to 2009 will return to the WAFC following four years at North Melbourne Football Club from 2009 to 2014. He spent two of those years as General Manager Football Operations, one as General Manager Development and Strategy and one as Development Manager.

He returned to his home state of Western Australia last year and has worked in the interim for the West Australian Government as a Senior Sports Consultant. He will commence with the WAFC on August 31.

Haines said he felt privileged to again have an opportunity to make a significant contribution to football in Western Australia.

“I'm looking forward to re-connecting with all the key stakeholders in this exciting role and looking forward to working together on the growth of our great game,” he said.

Daniel Grace will commence with the WAFC on August 17 after previously working as Head of Corporate Sponsorship & Sales with NRL team the South Sydney Rabbitohs for the past four years. Prior to that he was employed in Perth by the Western Force Super Rugby 15 franchise as Corporate Sales Manager. 

Grace said he had decided to move back to Perth with his West Australian partner to be closer to family and add value to the WAFC as it enters an exciting chapter.

“This move is right for me on both the professional and family sides of things,” Grace said. “It is an exciting time for football in Western Australia with the WAFL free to air broadcast doubling audiences, the Dockers and Eagles sitting atop the AFL ladder, and the new Perth stadium build on the horizon.”

WAFC Chief Executive Officer Gary Walton said both were excellent appointments for the WAFC and that their broad-ranging experience would provide a strong future direction in both core business streams.

“Jon has extensive experience in football affairs at the elite level, complemented by a strong understanding of grassroots development and the structure of our football system in Western Australia. We are delighted to welcome him back to the WAFC in this role and are confident he will again add tremendous value to the organisation,” Mr Walton said.

“Daniel will also bring a wealth of experience to the Commercial Manager role, as well as a new perspective and direction from his background in other elite sporting environments. We look forward to seeing Daniel apply his knowledge to WA Football and delivering key business outcomes for the WAFC.

“This focus on Football Affairs and Commercial Management reflects our overall commitment to excellence in each of these areas, particularly given the new partnerships associated with stadium naming rights and the WAFL TV broadcast and our commitment to growing football participation and enhancing competitions and the talent pathway.”