Inquiry Into the Use of State Funding by the Western Australian Football Commission

Inquiry into the use of State funding by the Western Australian Football Commission

Responses to Questions Taken on Notice and Further Questions from the Committee

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE 17 September 2020

Contents 1. RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS TAKEN ON NOTICE ...... 3 1.1 Of the approximately 18 WAFC staff working across the regions and in country football, how many are based in the regions? ...... 3 1.2 Can you provide a breakdown of WA players drafted to AFL clubs, according to the schools those draft picks attended, for all years in which that data is available?...... 5 1.3 Can you provide a detailed breakdown of how the funding to regional football is distributed? ...... 6 2. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE ...... 10 2.1 Can you provide us with a breakdown of WAFC employees by their position and their salaries/wages, both pre-restructure, and planned? ...... 10 2.2 Your financial statements from 2019 do not separate out the cost of staff but includes a global figure for ‘payments to suppliers and employees’, which is the same as a total expenditure figure...... 17 2.3 How many consultants do you have and do you plan to employ? ...... 21 2.4 The appendix on staffing structure shows that 33 of the 131 permanent employees were in externally funded roles...... 23 2.5 To what extent does the WAFC fund school football? ...... 25 2.6 What costs are associated with running State Academy Programs? ...... 27 2.7 Page 77 of your submission states one key provision of the Agreement [clause 3.2], relating to funding and a funding cap, is ‘a downward ratchet’, ‘is advantageous to the State and disadvantageous to the WAFC’, and under this provision, ‘there is no upside for WAFC, only downside.’ Why did the WAFC agree to it? ...... 30 2.8 You claim that moving from lease arrangements for your vehicle fleet to outright ownership will provide substantial savings? ...... 31 2.9 We have heard evidence that the Commission has become increasingly involved in program delivery, and that this is outside its original remit of funding, governance and compliance...... 32 2.10 In regards to the support for development of female participation, specifically Junior (girls) Football community club competition, what role (if any) does the WAFC play in the competition fixture? ...... 41 2.11 The table on page 24 of your submission shows that $10.4 million went to WAFL – about $5million as cash distribution, and $5.4million as operating costs ...... 43 2.12 This table (see question 11 above) shows that $894,000 was passed on in cash to those levels below WAFL. Does that seem right to you? ...... 45 2.13 For example, the Perth Football League is home to something like 11,500 players and 250+ teams, including 37 women’s teams. For that, it received about $1.5million. That included $490k in cash and about $880k in ‘WAFC expenditure’ – presumably this involves staffing and its share of IT etc. This is less that the equivalent to one WAFL club ($10.5m in total; nine teams; 1/9 = $1.2mill)...... 47 2.14 Please provide information detailing all steps in the process by which WAFC Board appointments are made. In your response, we ask that you provide: ...... 49

1. RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS TAKEN ON NOTICE

1.1 Of the approximately 18 WAFC staff working across the regions and in country football, how many are based in the regions?

There are currently 13 WAFC staff working directly in regional football. The total team number of 18 included four Perth based staff with a state-wide facilities and events and club development focus which encompasses regional activities. There was also one regional support position which was vacant during 2020. Of the 13 dedicated regional staff, ten are based in the regions whilst the remaining three are based in Perth to provide competition administration, development oversight, and general club administration. Each of the 13 roles are described below.

The WAFC has eight Regional Development Specialists (RDS) in major WA regional centres - Broome, Karratha, Geraldton, Northam, Narrogin, Kalgoorlie, Albany and Bunbury. In addition, the WAFC has two Managers – Country Football North and Country Football South - who split their time between head office (60%) and being in the regions (40%) to support staff and game development activities. Each of these Managers are responsible for four Regional Development Specialists (RDSs).

These roles cover a wide range of objectives across all areas of football, including Auskick, umpiring, coaching, club development and senior football, as outlined below.

The core focus areas of their roles are as follows:

PARTICIPATION AND ENGAGEMENT • Provide ongoing support and education to centres and parents to enable the AFL Auskick program to run efficiently. • Support all requirements of the AFL Coach membership program and provide continuous education opportunities for all levels. • Promotion and support of WAFC school programs and competitions. • Engage AFLSA’s (School Ambassadors) as key program deliverers. • Provide leadership and support to all leagues on an ongoing and regular basis. • Delivery of Volunteer of the Year Program. • Delivery and Management of WAFC Club Development opportunities. • Develop opportunities to grow junior, youth and female club football numbers. • Support diversity and opportunities in Integrated football • Provide local Footyweb support for clubs and leagues. • Support WAFC Indigenous and Multicultural programs.

FACILITIES • Partner with Local Governments, DLGSC and local clubs/ leagues to support local facility improvement plans. • Act as liaison with the WAFC Manager - Facilities and Events to ensure all clubs have opportunities to improve their facilities. • Manage the local facility audit on behalf of the WAFC. LEAGUE AND GOVERNANCE SUPPORT • Act as the Executive Officer and provide strategic leadership and direction to the local Regional Football Development Council (RFDC), maintaining regular and professional contact in line with the WAFC’s KPIs. • Develop and maintain positive relationships with all local media outlets promoting AFL programs. • Create and maintain positive working relationships with all League and Club Committees. • Attend Community Football events and games in line with the WAFC’s KPIs. CORE ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES • Meet and exceed all of the WAFC’s KPIs. • Deliver on the WAFC annual operational plan. • Deliver on the WAFC budget. • Undertake all reporting requirements as requested by the WAFC. • Follow all the WAFC’s policies and procedures. There are two additional roles supporting the Regional Development Specialists in the South West Region: • South West Development Officer – Coaching and Talent. • Auskick and Schools Coordinator. This role is funded via the South West Regional Development Council, South West Football League and the clubs. Perth based staff with a focus on regional football are as follows: • Manager – Country Football North: Manages the RDSs and stakeholders in northern WA • Manager – Country Football South: Manages the RDSs and stakeholders in southern WA • WACFL Administration and Finance In addition to the above roles which are 100% focused on country/regional football, the following four (4) Perth based WAFC staff provide critical support to the strategic development of regional football facilities and competition support to country clubs. As they are not dedicated to country football their costs are not included in the WAFC $1.837m spend on Country as listed on page 6.

• Executive Manager Country Football and Facilities: manages the Country Football and Facilities team • Manager Facilities and Events: responsible for metropolitan and regional facilities strategy • Events Coordinator and Competitions Administrator: provides Sports TG (the national football player registration database) support to all clubs • Club Development and Affiliates Coordinator: works across regional and metropolitan junior community football. The introduction of the WAFC Executive Manager Country Football & Facilities position, as part of aligning the West Australian Country Football League (WACFL) and the WAFC, added a focus of senior football to the requirements of the Regional Development Specialist roles, to ensure all levels of football were supported and serviced in the regions.

1.2 Can you provide a breakdown of WA players drafted to AFL clubs, according to the schools those draft picks attended, for all years in which that data is available?

In terms of WA players drafted to AFL clubs the record of note is the AFL Record season publication. The WAFC relies on SportsTG (the national football player registration database) data to track players throughout their football playing journey, which is then matched to the AFL Record season publication to form the basis of our information relating to where players have played during their junior careers.

At the time of our initial submission, information regarding school/s attended was not accessible to the WAFC within the SportsTG database. Following our appearance before the Committee we have been able to work with SportsTG to access further data captured within their system. This has included school/s attended where that information has been captured. SportsTG has only been able to provide data dating back to 2010, and in the case of some players they have not been able to provide school data at all where it was not captured for that player.

The breakdown of data we have been able to access is provided at the end of this document.

1.3 Can you provide a detailed breakdown of how the funding to regional football is distributed?

Funding to regional football by the WAFC is distributed in three ways: 1. The employment costs (which includes their overheads, office accommodation and any other associated employment costs), of WAFC staff working in the nine regions; 2. The provision of operational funding to the nine regions; and 3. Via the West Australian Football League (WACFL).

The employment of WAFC staff in regional football is detailed in response to question 1.1 above. In 2019 the WAFC spent $1.837m on country football which is broken down as follows:

• $1.432m on salaries, cars and oncosts for WAFC staff. • $85k of WAFC operational expenditure for travel, insurances and phones that are directly associated with these roles and carrying out their country football responsibilities. • $55k of an annual cash subsidy paid directly to the WACFL. • $166k cash subsidies paid to the various Regional Football Development Councils. • $103k of cash paid to the WACFL for sponsorship by way of supply rights.

Funding is distributed to regional football Leagues and Clubs directly by the West Australian Country Football League (WACFL). In August 2019, a new WAFC role was established, with a regional football focused manager sitting on the WAFC Executive. This ensures regional football ‘has a seat’ at a WAFC Executive/Board level and the partnership between the two parties has ‘never been stronger’ according to the WACFL Board.

The WACFL is an independently constituted body which has oversight of the 25 senior & two colts leagues in regional WA. The Board is an elected Executive and not a Delegate model, with the 27 leagues being the voting members who vote for Board members, Presidents and other motions as moved at the AGM.

The following chart shows the relationship between the WAFC, WACFL, the regional Leagues and the Clubs and the movement of funds between the parties.

It is important to note that the WACFL and the money derived from the clubs and leagues is separate to the WAFC funding and support.

The WACFL also receives funding via major corporate partners who contribute approximately $600,000 per annum. From this, the WACFL distributes an annual league grant to the 25 senior regional leagues. This amount varies dependent on the size of the league and is shown in the charts overleaf.

The following table presents 2019 Net Assets for 14 of the 25 country leagues as an indication of their financial health. As part of League’s Funding Agreements, they must provide annual financial statements before WACFL distributes their annual funding. Please note, not all financials for FY19 have been received to date and only those received have been included. The financial positions of the WACFL and the Leagues represented below are generally in good health. In the main, the regional leagues and clubs are sustained via Player Fees, Food & Beverage sales, sponsorship and grants.

2019 FULL YEAR (TO 31 OCTOBER 2019) NET ASSETS LEAGUE TOTAL WA Country Football League $ 515,591.00

Central Kimberley FA $ 74,213.00 Central Midlands Coastal FL $ 42,927.00 Central Wheatbelt FL $ 78,379.00 Eastern Districts FL $ 50,564.00 Esperance District FA $ 52,455.00 Great Southern FL $ 84,310.00 Lower South West FL $ 48,001.00 Northern Regions Colts Council $ 9,669.00 Ongerup FA $ 15,551.00 Peel Football & Netball League $ 142,699.00 Ravensthorpe & Districts FA $ 56,223.00 South West FL $ 1,245,178.00 Upper Great Southern FL $ 69,981.00 West Kimberley Football League $ 23,023.00

Based on the financials in the above table, the average net assets of these 14 Leagues can be calculated at $142,370. The combined net assets of these 14 Leagues (and not including those who have yet to submit their annual financial statements) and the WACFL is $2,508,764. These figures show the WACFL and the Regional Leagues are in a sound financial position due to their ability to self-generate and manage funds.

2. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE

2.1 Can you provide us with a breakdown of WAFC employees by their position and their salaries/wages, both pre-restructure, and planned?

The salaries and wages included below are gross and exclude any associated on-costs such as superannuation, payroll tax or workers compensation insurance costs.

In summary, the pre-restructure average salary for all WAFC permanent employees is $83,474, with 115.3 FTE, with a total salary (excl super) value of $9,627,848. The restructure will result in an average salary of $80,864 with 93.4 FTE, with a total salary (excl super) value of $7,555,938.

Changes and reductions to non-permanent employees are captured in the tables following this table.

Pre-restructure Post-restructure WAFC Area with Positions Gross Salary Gross Salary FTE FTE (excl Super) (excl Super) Commercial & Marketing Operations $451,128 4.8 $385,000 3.8 Communications & Digital Media Specialist  0.0  1.0 Communications Specialist  1.0  0.0 Digital Media Coordinator  1.0  0.0 Head of Commercial  1.0  1.0 Marketing Manager  1.0  1.0 Partnerships Coordinator  0.8  0.0 Partnerships Specialist  0.0  0.8 Community Engagement $643,953 8.8 $479,000 7.0 Aboriginal & Inclusion Leader  1.0  1.0 Auskick & Junior Football Coordinator  1.0  1.0 Club Development & Affiliates Coordinator  1.0  0.0 Coaching & Participation Coordinator  1.0  0.0 Competitions Coordinator  1.0  1.0 Competitions Specialist  0.0  1.0 Diversity Coordinator  0.8  0.0 Game Development Coordinator  1.0  1.0 Junior, Youth & Community Football Coordinator  0.0  1.0 Manager Coaching & Regional Services  1.0  0.0 Schools Specialist  1.0  1.0 Country Regions and Facilities & Events $1,176,486 15.9 $ 1,127,266 14.8 Affiliates Coordinator  0.0  1.0 Development Officer - Great Southern  0.5  0.0 Kimberley Regional Development Officer  1.0  0.0

Pre-restructure Post-restructure WAFC Area with Positions Gross Salary Gross Salary FTE FTE (excl Super) (excl Super) Manager - Country Football (North)  0.0  1.0 Manager - Country Football (South)  0.0  1.0 RDM Goldfields  1.0  1.0 RDM Great Southern  1.0  1.0 RDM Kimberley  1.0  1.0 RDM Midlands  1.0  1.0 RDM Midwest  1.0  1.0 RDM Pilbara  1.0  1.0 RDM South West  1.0  1.0 RDM Wheatbelt  1.0  1.0 South West Coaching & Talent Coordinator  1.0  0.0 South West Development Officer  1.0  1.0 WACFL Administration Assistant  0.8  0.0 WACFL Admin Assistant  0.6  0.8 WACFL Operations Coordinator  1.0  0.0 WACFL Operations Support  1.0  0.0 Facilities & Events Coordinator  0.0  1.0 Manager - Facilities & Events  1.0  1.0 Finance $380,300 4.6 $259,300 3.0 Accounts Officer  0.0  0.4 Accounts Officer - Payroll  0.0  0.6 Accounts Receivable Officer  1.0  0.0 Assistant Accountant  0.0  1.0 Finance Manager  1.0  0.0 Finance Officer  1.0  0.0 Financial Controller  0.0  1.0 Financial Planning & Analysis Specialist  1.0  0.0 Payroll Officer  0.6  0.0 IT $247,800 3.0 $147,800 2.0 IT Operations Manager  1.0  0.0 IT Support Coordinator  0.0  1.0 IT Support Officer  1.0  0.0 Senior Web Developer  1.0  1.0 Junior Competitions & Game Development $1,760,459 28.0 $1,345,000 21.6 Acting Manager Participation & Engagement  1.0  0.0 Claremont Development Officer  1.0  1.0 Coach Coordinator - Metro Central  1.0  1.0 Coach Coordinator - Metro North  1.0  1.0 Coach Coordinator - Metro South  1.0  1.0 Community & Club Development Manager - Metro Central  1.0  1.0 Community & Club Development Manager - Metro South  1.0  1.0 Community Development Manager - Metro North  1.0  1.0 Competition Administrator Metro Central  2.0  1.2

Pre-restructure Post-restructure WAFC Area with Positions Gross Salary Gross Salary FTE FTE (excl Super) (excl Super) Competition Administrator Metro North  2.0  1.2 Competition Administrator Metro South  2.0  1.2 Competition Specialist  1.0  0.0 Competition Team Leader  1.0  0.0 Competitions & Club Development Team Leader-Metro  1.0  0.0 Competitions Team Leader - Metro Central  1.0  1.0 Competitions Team Leader - Metro North  1.0  1.0 Competitions Team Leader - Metro South  1.0  1.0 East Fremantle Development Officer  1.0  1.0 East Perth Development Officer  1.0  1.0 Peel Development Officer  1.0  1.0 Perth Development Officer  1.0  1.0 Schools Specialist  1.0  0.0 South Fremantle Development Officer  1.0  1.0 Subiaco Development Officer  0.0  1.0 Swan Districts Development Officer  1.0  1.0 West Perth Development Officer  1.0  1.0 People, Culture & Safety $293,586 4.1 $200,449 2.6 Office Administrator  0.5  0.0 Office Administrator (Receptionist)  0.7  0.6 People & Culture Specialist  1.0  1.0 People, Culture & Safety Manager  1.0  0.0 People, Culture & Safety Resource  0.0  1.0 People, Culture and Safety Administrator  1.0  0.0 PFL $513,903 6.6 $513,403 6.6 WAAFL Admin Manager  1.0  1.0 WAAFL Competition Integrity Officer  1.0  1.0 WAAFL General Manager  1.0  1.0 WAAFL Media & Marketing Officer  1.0  1.0 WAAFL Operations Coordinator  1.0  1.0 WAAFL Operations Manager  1.0  1.0 WAAFL Partnerships Manager  0.6  0.6 State Talent (Male & Female) $893,202 9.8 $602,186 7.8 Athlete Development Coordinator  1.0  1.0 Athlete Development Coordinator Female Programs  0.6  0.0 Coach Coordinator - Female Programmes  0.6  0.0 Coach Coordinator - Talent  0.0  0.8 Country Coach Coordinator  0.0  1.0 Head of Coaching  0.0  1.0 State 18'S Coach Coordinator  0.5  0.0 State Talent Manager  1.0  1.0 Talent Manager - Female Programs  1.0  0.0 Talent Officer - Female Programs  1.8  0.0

Pre-restructure Post-restructure WAFC Area with Positions Gross Salary Gross Salary FTE FTE (excl Super) (excl Super) Talent Pathway Coaching Coordinator  0.7  0.0 Talent Program Coordinator  0.0  1.0 Talent Programs & Memorabilia Specialist  1.0  0.0 Talent Specialist  0.0  1.0 WA State 16'S Coach  0.5  0.0 Wellbeing Coordinator - Female  0.0  0.5 Wellbeing Coordinator - Male  0.5  0.5 Wellness & Player Development Coordinator  0.6  0.0 Strategy & Governance $206,000 2.0 $100,000 1.0 Governance Specialist  1.0  0.0 Governance, Contracts & Projects Manager  0.0  1.0 Strategy & Projects Manager  1.0  0.0 Talent Pathway $805,209 10.0 $636,709 9.0 Colts Coach Co-Ordinator  0.0  0.0 Talent Manager - Claremont  1.0  1.0 Talent Manager - East Fremantle  1.0  1.0 Talent Manager - East Perth  1.0  1.0 Talent Manager - Peel  1.0  1.0 Talent Manager - Perth  1.0  1.0 Talent Manager - South Fremantle  1.0  1.0 Talent Manager - Subiaco  1.0  1.0 Talent Manager - Swan Districts  1.0  1.0 Talent Manager - West Perth  1.0  1.0 Talent Pathway Manager  1.0  0.0 Umpiring $392,632 4.6 $381,325 4.6 Administration Officer  0.6  0.0 Community Umpire Coordinator  1.0  1.0 Umpire Development Manager  1.0  0.0 Umpire Education & Appointments Coordinator  1.0  1.0 Umpiring Manager  1.0  1.0 WAFL & Talent Umpiring Specialist  0.0  1.0 WAFL Umpiring Administration Officer  0.0  0.6 WAFL Operations $488,549 5.0 $357,500 3.8 Integrity, Education & Memorabilia Manager  0.0  0.8 WAFL & Talent Administration Officer  1.0  0.0 WAFL Competition Coordinator  0.0  1.0 WAFL Competition Specialist  0.0  1.0 WAFL Compliance Specialist  1.0  0.0 WAFL & Talent Administration Officer  1.0  0.0 WAFL Operations Manager  1.0  1.0 WAFL & Talent Administration Officer  1.0  0.0 Executive $1,374,640 8.0 $1,021,000 6.0 Chief Executive Officer  1.0  1.0 Executive Assistant  1.0  1.0 Executive Manager - Corporate Services  1.0  0.0

Pre-restructure Post-restructure WAFC Area with Positions Gross Salary Gross Salary FTE FTE (excl Super) (excl Super) Executive Manager Commercial Operations  0.0  1.0 Executive Manager Commercial, Communications & Strategy  1.0  0.0 Executive Manager Country Football, Affiliates & Facilities  1.0  1.0 Executive Manager Governance, Strategy & Workforce Planning  1.0  0.0 Executive Manager Junior, Youth & Community Football  0.0  1.0 Executive Manager WAFL & Football Operations  1.0  0.0 Executive Manager WAFL & Talent  0.0  1.0 Executive Manager Youth, Community & Game Development  1.0  0.0 Grand Total $9,627,848 115.3 $7,555,938 93.4

The WAFC also employs seasonal staff to support the talent programs. The number of support staff has also been reviewed with an impact on salary costs as follows:

Pre- Post- restructure restructure Total seasonal staff salaries $636,409 $331,101

To deliver game and community development programs, the WAFC also employs a pool of casuals who provide ad hoc support:

Pre-restructure Post-restructure Gross Gross Salary Hours Salary (excl Hours (excl Super) Super) Gross Casual Wages $163,217 6,182 $146,896 5,563 Casual roles covered by hours above Sporting Schools Program Support Sporting Schools Program School Umpiring Match Day Trainers Historian General Game Development Officers - Weeknight Centres Game Development Officers - Promotional Clinics Game Development Officers - Half Time Game Development Officers - Auskick Game Development Officers - Activations Community Football Tribunal Secretaries Community Clinics Clinic Coordinators Auskick & School Servicing

In addition to casual employees’ wages, payments are made to Umpires for football competitions run across WA, including WAFL, Talent Pathway, State Talent, Schools and District/Community: Pre- Post restructure restructure $ $ Gross Umpire Wages (Including District Competition Umpire payments) $1,327,225 $1,195,005

a. Can you also provide a total figure for the WAFC’s expenditure on salaries in the last reporting period?

The below table includes the salary costs for permanent and casual staff, as per the 2019 financial accounts categories.

Salaries - Salaries - Casual Total Salaries Financial Statement Category Permanent Staff Staff including Super Administration* $ 1,071,165 $ 15,902 $ 1,190,338 Marketing Expenses $ 190,430 $ - $ 208,521 Corporate $ 387,854 $ 9,435 $ 435,032 Football $ 2,250,419 $ 28,011 $ 2,494,881 Development $ 5,025,014 $ 81,659 $ 5,591,806 Facilities $ 192,197 $ 33,822 $ 247,491 Umpiring $ 395,292 $ 650,984 $ 1,145,672 Total $ 9,512,371 $ 819,812 $ 11,313,741

*Administration includes salaries for roles including Accounts, Finance, IT, Web Development, Payroll, Human Resources, Governance and Strategy.

2.2 Your financial statements from 2019 do not separate out the cost of staff but includes a global figure for ‘payments to suppliers and employees’, which is the same as a total expenditure figure. a. Can you explain how that reporting choice is transparent to your various stakeholders?

The WAFC financial statements are prepared in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and signed off by independent auditors. The figure for ‘payments to suppliers and employees’ is included as part of the Statement of Cash Flows, which is not intended to provide a breakdown of expenditure.

Please note that also in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards, the total salaries paid to the WAFC executives and benefits received by the WAFC Board are outlined in the notes to the Financial Statements. Namely note 23.c) for Board benefits and note 23.d) for total short-term employee benefits paid to key management personnel.

Not all football industry entities or State Sporting Associations publish their financial accounts, yet below are three examples which reflect a similar adoption of Australian Accounting Standards.

2.3 How many consultants do you have and do you plan to employ?

During the 2020 WAFC financial year, the following consultants were engaged (see further details below): • Cumberland Consulting Group – current and ongoing during 2021 • Checkside – project undertaken during 2020, no plans for further engagement • Alchemy Advisory Partners – current and ongoing during 2021 • Paatsch Group – project undertaken during 2020 • Mills Wilson – current and will conclude in early 2021 • Creating Communities – project undertaken during 2020 with WAFL for the Innovations project, no plans for further engagement. • Resilience Solutions – investigations undertaken during 2020. a. How many are employed on football-specific matters? We have not engaged any consultants during 2020 where a project is related to football- specific matters, but the Creating Communities project may in the longer-term impact on the delivery of some football programs. All of the consultancy work was considered necessary for the effective functioning of the organisation, so indirectly relates to football. b. How many on administrative activity? The following consultants have been engaged on what would be related to administrative activity and a very brief description of what their services have been is included: • Cumberland Consulting Group provides advice on organisational development, staff development, coaching and training. • Checkside provided specialist HR advice for the staff organisation restructure of the WAFC. • Alchemy Advisory Partners provides ad hoc strategic communications and PR advice and support, including specific communications advice on the recent organisation restructure. • Paatsch Group provided advice on parameters for the Future Home of Football along with a review of WAFL facilities. • Mills Wilson is providing advice and support in developing the industry’s Further with Footy (Social Return on Investment) communications package and toolkit. • Creating Communities undertook the recent WAFL Innovation research work. Their work specialises in community development and consultation. • Resilience Solutions – whilst technically not consultants, they were engaged to undertake two specific independent investigations.

c. What services do you get from consultants that can’t be provided in other ways, especially on football-specific matters? As noted in the response to question 2.3 a. we haven’t engaged any consultants on football- specific matters. We engage consultants where the organisation requires specific technical expertise that is not required on a permanent basis, and is not able to be sourced through existing employees. It is also valuable to have an independent perspective with some projects.

It is more cost effective to ‘buy in’ the expertise as needed, rather than employing someone at this technical/specialist level, which is usually at a higher salary scale, when there is not sufficient work required to have them employed in the business full-time. The need for commissioning consultants is generally a decision based on expertise, cost and time and is often dictated by the need for specialist expertise within a concentrated timeframe for the completion of project work.

2.4 The appendix on staffing structure shows that 33 of the 131 permanent employees were in externally funded roles. a. Can you explain where that funding comes from? Community There is one role in community that is considered to be externally funded, and that is a joint funded position whereby the AFL Masters WA contributes an amount to the costs of an administrator to assist them in the delivery of their competitions. The WAFC contributes the remainder of the salary.

Talent All externally funded roles within the talent team are funded by the AFL. In terms of the State Academy, the AFL funds specific roles for a specific purpose, as outlined in their annual talent program Memorandum of Understanding with the WAFC. This includes recent investments in female specific roles and well-being support. Role specific funding from the AFL is reviewed on an annual basis and only committed for 12 months at a time.

In terms of the WAFL Talent Pathway, the AFL provides significant overall funding for these programs. Despite it not being specifically tagged for roles by the AFL, a large proportion of the funding is allocated by the WAFC to roles such as the WAFL-club based Talent Managers and Colts Coaches.

Country Football and Facilities External roles are funded in the local regions, generally via the local Regional Football Development Council. At present there are two of these positions; • Auskick and Schools Coordinator – South West (Bunbury). Funded via the South West RFDC, South West Football League and a contribution from the ten South West Football League clubs. • Auskick and Schools Coordinator – Great Southern (Albany). Funded via the Great Southern RFDC (currently vacant and not included in the new WAFC structure).

b. What is the dollar value of that funding? The total amount of funding received is $2.213 million (comprising of the $2.157 million and $56,000 as outlined below). The WAFC receives funding from the AFL, PFL, WACFL and the South West Regional Football Development Council for staff members that the WAFC would not otherwise employ. These personnel either work directly on behalf of the Affiliates and under the direction of the relevant boards, or they deliver outcomes that are strategically important to the sustainability of the AFL competition and these personnel are employed under the AFL’s direction. The value of funding received for these roles is $2.157 million. Of this, $1.342 million is from the AFL. There are other staff employed by the WAFC working across several areas to provide fundamental services to stakeholders such as the WAFL Clubs and Affiliates. These staff perform part-time administrative support for entities that are otherwise run by volunteers or provide IT services to a wide group of football stakeholders. The provision of central IT skills and administration support benefits football by providing central resources that facilitate consistency and access to skills and systems otherwise not able to be afforded by the individual entities. The value of funding received for these roles is $56,000. These values exclude funding previously received but which is unlikely in the future.

c. How are those funds represented in your annual statements? The funds received from any external party to contribute or cover the cost of a staff appointment are reflected in the revenue of the WAFC as per the audited financial accounts. Similarly, the associated employment expenditure on those roles (ie salaries, taxes, insurances and other resources to perform their responsibilities) is included in the WAFC expenditure categories and breakdown. Any salary costs for funded roles are included in the above breakdown of WAFC salaries as the individuals appointed to fill these roles are employees of the WAFC, regardless of the funding coming from other parties.

There are two revenue lines on the face of the WAFC’s financial statements being: (1) Revenue and (2) State Funding Income in Advance. The funds received from external parties are represented in the Revenue line. Per Note 4 to the Financial Statements ‘Revenues and Other Income’, the AFL funding portion of the funding for roles is contained within the ‘AFL Distribution’ line item, with the remainder included in the ‘Revenues from operating activities’ line item.

2.5 To what extent does the WAFC fund school football?

The WAFC works alongside schools and teachers on the delivery of school programs across the state. The WAFC invests in both Primary and Secondary School programs and competitions across Western Australia, along with supporting AFL School Ambassadors who play an active role in the school community promoting football.

The budgeted expenditure for school football for the 2019/20 year is as follows:

• Primary Schools: $147,258 • Secondary Schools: $116,634 • School Ambassador Program: $74,585

School expenditure includes the provision of footballs, school goal posts and pads, bibs, markers, certificates, posters and other related sport equipment. It also includes the provision of competition support costs for school competitions including the hiring of venues, umpiring costs, trophies and other game related costs such as medical support.

The School Ambassador program funding supports equipment provision, uniforms and recognition of key ambassadors.

The AFL also invests in school programs nationally through the provision of additional resources.

School football plays an important role in the development and growth of the game in Western Australia. As such the WAFC continues to support the ongoing development and growth of School Football, and the subsequent delivery of the competitions and programs. This is the same as all other State Sporting Associations (SSAs) and the support they provide across their respective sports. a. Specifically, does the WAFC pay for umpires for school football? If not, who does?

Yes, the WAFC does pay for some of the umpiring costs associated with school competitions, depending on the level of competition and the location of some of the competitions. These are the top divisions of the School Sport WA (SSWA) State School competitions (both male and female), along with a few other key school competitions. This is communicated to all schools on their registration and engagement in school competitions. All other costs for umpires outside of these are provided by the school or undertaken free of charge by the nominated umpire (i.e. a school teacher or parent may umpire lower level competitions).

In respect to Public Schools Association (PSA) competitions, umpires are paid by the respective PSA schools, however, Development Squad Umpires are provided for their respective competitions and the WAFC oversees all umpire appointment processes to these games. With respect to Independent Girls School Sport Association (IGSSA), the WAFC supports the running of this competition through competition fixturing, carnival operations, logistical support, and set-up and pack away of venues. Similarly, IGSSA arrange their own umpires and pay for them via each of the schools. b. Please specify how, if at all, and when arrangements for paying for school football umpires has changed since the inception of the WAFC.

There has been very little change in arrangements for paying for school football since the WAFC’s inception. The WAFC has supported school programs and competitions since its inception, through the Football Development Trust (FDT). The WAFC works closely with School Sport WA on the delivery of the State School competitions. Over this time the WAFC has supported the costs of umpires where it can to ensure as many schools as possible can participate, and that the cost of participation is not a factor that prevents engagement.

With the impact of COVID-19 in 2020, some schools have opted to participate in a shorter competition format whereby they cover the costs for umpires through the regular games and the WAFC covers umpiring costs for finals.

2.6 What costs are associated with running State Academy Programs?

The total budgeted expenditure for the State Academy programs in 2020 was $2.295m prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (funding sources are outlined below). This figure reflects the delivery of the following programs: • AFL Academy Hub (male) • Male 18s • Male 16s • Female 18s • Female 16s • North West Academy (male) • Jan Cooper Cup (female) • Metro Development Squads (female). When combined, these State Academy programs run across the full 12 months of the year with a short break over the Christmas and New Year period.

Costs associated with running State Academy Programs are detailed in the following table:

Category Expense Admin $19,551 Facilities $43,300 Marketing and PR $9,600 Football Costs $405,163 IT $25,300 Staff $1,377,183 Travel $323,810 Subsidies $50,000 Allocations $41,404 Total Expenses $2,295,311

Staffing accounts for more than half the cost of the program, and includes coaches, medical staff, strength and conditioning, well-being and program management. Staff are a combination of full time, part time and seasonal roles, and contractors.

Football costs are made up of equipment and uniforms, as well as costs for umpires, match vision and statistics. Also captured within this category are costs associated with the three camps required as part of the AFL Academy Hub.

Travel to national carnivals for players and support staff, which traditionally involve two East Coast trips for each carnival, is another significant cost associated with these programs.

The AFL mandates what the majority of their funding can be spent on, with the WAFC’s direct investment the main source of flexibility within this expenditure. For example, the AFL tags amounts of money for strength and conditioning, and well-being roles, and reimburses for expenses related to travel and AFL Academy Hub camps. a. Please break down the sources of funding where applicable.

A significant amount of the WAFC’s State Academy Programs – both male and female - is funded by the AFL. This money is collected by the AFL from its 18 clubs as a “talent development fee” and then distributed across the different talent pathways in the States and Territories.

A breakdown of the AFL’s funding into the WAFC’s State Academy Program is provided below:

Funding pool Funding amount Prescribed purpose State Academy staffing $0.392M Tagged to specific State Academy roles including well-being, coaching, strength & conditioning Travel subsidy $0.105m Subsidy to assist with travel to National Championships for U/18 boys and girls, and U/16 boys AFL Academy Hub $0.234m Delivery of de-centralised AFL Academy in WA including three camps, all spending to be approved by the AFL AFL Base grant allocation $0.334m Portion of base grant allocated to North West Academy, Boys 18s program, Boys 16s program, and Girls 18s program Female coaching grant $0.015m One-off grant for female coach development activities TOTAL $1.080m

Outside of the AFL’s funding, additional sources of funding include commercial sponsorship and fees charged to participants in certain State Academy programs. Commercial sponsorship is sourced by the WAFC commercial team and includes contra contributions from Burley Sekem for footballs and uniforms and cash contributions from Simply Energy. This is broken down in the table below:

Funding source Funding amount Comment Simply Energy partnership $0.035m Allocation of Simply Energy cash sponsorship Burley Sekem partnership $0.071m Allocation of Burley Sekem contra sponsorship Participant registrations $0.078m Fees paid by players in certain programs TOTAL $0.184m

The balance of funding for State Academy programs comes from WAFC sources. In the pre- COVID budget for 2020 this amounts to a direct WAFC investment of $1.030 million across the male and female programs delivered.

2.7 Page 77 of your submission states one key provision of the Agreement [clause 3.2], relating to funding and a funding cap, is ‘a downward ratchet’, ‘is advantageous to the State and disadvantageous to the WAFC’, and under this provision, ‘there is no upside for WAFC, only downside.’ Why did the WAFC agree to it?

The negotiation process for the WAFC Funding Agreement had to consider many elements, conditions and clauses as part of reaching a final and mutually agreed position. This meant that all parties had to compromise and take on key clauses as part of negotiating and agreeing on the final Agreement.

The funding cap was one of those clauses considered a key term of the Government’s negotiation principles. As part of the overall negotiated conditions/clauses of the entire agreement the WAFC was satisfied that this condition be included, whilst noting it did not provide any up-side for the WAFC.

This point was raised in our submission as it highlights that in years where our two AFL Clubs are performing well at the Stadium and the return is greater than the $11 million CPI index, there is no uplift or benefit to the WAFC through its Funding Agreement, with any uplift being retained by the State.

2.8 You claim that moving from lease arrangements for your vehicle fleet to outright ownership will provide substantial savings?

Yes, that is correct. The leases the WAFC have previously used are operating leases, which include financing and administration margins to a third party. a. How large is your fleet and what is its annual cost?

The WAFC currently has 45 cars in its fleet, with 12 of these cars provided under a contra sponsorship arrangement with Kia. In 2019 the WAFC incurred a charge of $515k to its P&L for motor vehicle leases, with $145k being the value for the Kia contra sponsorship. Thus in 2019, cash spent on motor vehicle leases was $370k.

In 2021 it is expected that the P&L charges for depreciation, maintenance, operating costs and leases will be $120k (excluding the contra value). b. What sort of savings are you expecting to make by the change?

The business case prepared to evaluate the benefit of purchasing motor vehicles rather than leasing, estimated the savings over 5 years (to allow for the full transition of the current fleet from leases to purchase) projected a 5 year net cash flow saving of $597k and a P&L saving of $1.427 million. These savings are based upon a static fleet size, yet increased flexibility of the fleet size to respond to changing business need was another advantage identified.

The value of the non-cash contra cars has been excluded from this business case modelling.

2.9 We have heard evidence that the Commission has become increasingly involved in program delivery, and that this is outside its original remit of funding, governance and compliance. a. How do you respond to that idea? The WAFC refutes that it has a remit of just “funding, governance and compliance” as this is not represented in the WAFC’s constitution or Strategic Plan. We have heard this view recently from some WAFL stakeholders, but this is not and never has been an accurate statement of the role or function of the WAFC.

On review of the original Constitution, the remit was not limited to funding, governance and compliance. Article 4.1 states “The objects for which the Commission is established are to promote, control, manage and encourage Football………”

Article 4.1 of the 2019 current Constitution states “The objects or purposes for which the Commission is established are to promote, develop, control, manage and encourage Football……..”

It should be noted that the word “manage” has always been in the constitution, and that is effectively what the WAFC does in its role, we manage football in WA.

The WAFC is like every other State Sporting Association (SSA) within the State. The delivery of the development aspects of the game at the WACA, Football West (Soccer), Netball WA, Hockey WA, Basketball WA and all other major SSA’s is a key priority and objective for each of these sports. The WAFC is no different in this regard to these, and every other sport across Western Australia.

All SSA’s play an important role in the funding, governance, competition management and program delivery of their specific sports. The WAFC is no different to these SSA’s in that we play a really important role in the delivery of key outcomes across these areas. The WAFC has a clear responsibility to all football stakeholders to ensure a fair and equitable approach and resourcing to support growth and outcomes across all segments of the game. As outlined by Sport Australia in their Structure of Australian Sport “State Sporting Associations (SSAs), are responsible for developing their sport from community participation to high performance levels in their respective jurisdiction”.

The WAFC has played a pivotal role with the delivery of programs across community football to enhance participation outcomes and to further support clubs and volunteers since the introduction of the WAFC. The West Australian Football Development Trust (FDT), which was a department within the WAFC, and was effectively the development delivery arm of the WAFC, was established to do exactly this. A 1992 report on the future of the game in WA, highlighted that the “Football Development Trust should be the major body underpinning the development of the game” (WA Football 2000: A Plan for the Development of Australian Football in WA).

As the District Model evolved in 2003, the FDT became Football Development or Game Development, which was an internal department within the WAFC. The WAFL clubs previously played a direct role in the development of Junior & Youth Club Football, but with little to no growth occurring through these segments across this period, they agreed that the best model was to align the delivery of Junior and Youth Football in the Metro area under the auspices of the WAFC, and the District Model. Junior and Youth Club Football has experienced strong growth due to the direct oversight of the WAFC since this model was implemented.

Since 2003, the WAFC District Development Staff, who at the time were called a Junior Development Officer (JDO) and a Youth Development Officer (YDO), have also played the lead role in overseeing the talent programs across the Districts, with the WAFC YDO delivering talent outcomes. This model changed in 2010, when the WAFL clubs sought additional funding from the WAFC to appoint the role of Talent Manager within the WAFL clubs. Following the BCG Report and Structural Review of Football (2016/17), a recommendation was made to revert management to the WAFC for the talent model to ensure greater consistency of delivery.

The WAFC has played a strong role in the program delivery of both Talent and Community outcomes since its inception, and like every other SSA across Western Australia, has a focus on delivering core outcomes associated with funding, governance, compliance, competition management and the delivery of programs to support community football across Western Australia. The WAFC strategically aligns to its constitutional objectives which were endorsed by a vote of the Members of the WAFC at a General Meeting in 2019.

The WAFC has also heard issues raised through the PAC hearings regarding the effectiveness of program delivery as measured by the WAFC via various data sources, and an apparent “mistrust” of participation data presented by the WAFC. The AFL, through independent demographers, establish the final participation numbers for each of the States, therefore ensuring consistency and independence in the analysis process across Australia and in line with Sport Australia requirements on participation reporting. There are two key measures that are utilised when talking about participation outcomes – Club-based Participation and Total Participation, which can be misconstrued or misrepresented if not fully understood or comprehended.

Club-based Participation – is captured through actual registration data of those participants playing in Community Club Football across Western Australia. These are unique participants that register, pay and play community football. There is absolutely no “double counting” through this count, as the registration system does not allow a player to register twice for a club. This is the primary figure that is used by the WAFC when talking about the health of the game in Western Australia.

NOTE: It is important to note that in 2016 a change to the AFL Census reporting format occurred which impacted the numbers collected. This has been outlined through the change in colours of the graph.

Total Participation – provides an overview of every participant who has engaged with the game in the State. This includes school football participants and Community Club Participants so can include a double count of a player, if that player plays for the school as well as a Community Club. Total Participation is similar to QANTAS passenger numbers - for instance if you travel twice to Melbourne in a year then you are counted twice in terms of total passenger numbers for that airline. Total Participation provides an overview of the total reach and engagement of the sport in Western Australia.

Total State Participation 1996 - 2019

400000 346729 350000

300000 Introduction of the 250000 District Model & WAFC oversight of Game 200000 Development &

Participation Participants 150000 100000

50000

2017 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 1996

13% Growth during this 533% Growth during this period period

All sports in Western Australia, and nationally, have similar processes, measures and mechanisms that are used for reporting requirements. The WAFC utilises data, research, and evidence to drive clear decision-making processes, as opposed to making ‘gut’ decisions or decisions ‘on the run’ that do not align to the clear information available. Decisions based on fact and data, are far more beneficial for the ongoing growth and development of the game, than those decisions based on opinion. Unfortunately, at times some misrepresent the data to serve self-interest, but at the WAFC we have used data to share trends with stakeholders, understand issues and opportunities facing our game and importantly to set performance measures to improve our game.

An example of misinformation the WAFC has heard through the PAC hearings relates to the number of male Under 17’s teams across the Perth Metro areas. The assertion made to the PAC that there is only one male Under 17’s team in the East Fremantle District, and only one male under 17 team in Claremont District is simply factually wrong. In 2020, there are currently 75 male Under 17 teams in the Perth metro area with the East Fremantle District having 10 male Under 17 teams and the Claremont District having 9 male Under 17 teams. In the South Fremantle District, which incorporates the electorate of Armadale, there are currently 11 male Under 17’s teams.

The following graphs provide an overview of Youth Participation. Again, these are registered and unique teams and players. There is no double counting of participant numbers in these figures.

From a female participation perspective there are currently 21 Under 17 Female teams in the Perth metropolitan area, and given the continued growth and development in this segment of the game it is expected that this number will continue to increase over the coming years.

We understand that at times it is hard for stakeholders at all levels of the game to have full and factual information about what is happening across districts and conferences. As the WAFC has become more focussed on using data to inform decision making we have also sought to share this information across the industry. An example of this Industry Information pack was provided to the Committee by Gavin Taylor which shows specifically what is happening within the Claremont Football Club’s district both regionally and in the metropolitan area.

The WAFC has also been closely monitoring data to determine the impact of COVID-19 on participation. It is pleasing that due to the hard work of volunteers and WAFC staff, 80% of players have returned to competitive football in WA, which provides a sound base of players to build our game on for future years.

Compared to other states, WA is well placed to ensure COVID-19 does not have a long-term impact on our Leagues and Clubs, whilst noting certain areas of WA will require additional support and guidance as we seek to reconnect football competitions right across WA.

It is important that data and fact drive decision making, and not opinion or conjecture. The WAFC is open to providing the PAC members with a comprehensive overview of the data collation and reporting processes, and the rigour that is involved in making evidence-based decisions that positively impact the industry, again based on factual information and data, as opposed to opinion or conjecture.

b. Could you also respond to suggestions that WAFL clubs are better placed to implement program delivery?

The WAFC is the State Sporting Association for Football in Western Australia, providing a governance, strategy, game development and competition management role. Like all State Sporting Associations in WA the WAFC provides a broad range of programs to support the overall development of the game.

There is no evidence to suggest that WAFL Clubs are better placed to implement program delivery generally. Evidence shows the current model is one of, if not the best performing model in Australia for game development and program delivery activities for football. This is based on the annual (audited) census data that shows the growth in Club-based and overall participation, compared to population and results achieved across other States.

However, as part of our revised short-term strategic plan the WAFC has identified there is an opportunity to work closely with WAFL Clubs to test and trial opportunities whereby WAFL Clubs can take a greater role in program delivery. We would hope by testing and trialling we can build greater capability, experience and understanding within WAFL clubs on how to effectively deliver community programs. The WAFC is considering the devolution of programs and services across the industry and will consider which stakeholder is best placed to deliver these programs and services. The WAFC will assess the most appropriate stakeholder to test and trial these opportunities by considering:

• Experience in delivering programs and services • Who is most suitable and relevant to deliver the programs to the recipient? • Can the programs be delivered just as effectively, with similar or improved outcomes? • Can the programs be delivered more cost effectively? • Does the program require consistency and specialist skills in delivery? • Can more funding be sourced through other parties delivering football programs? • Do the RDC’s support the program delivery model?

There is significant risk to the development of the game associated with the devolution of program delivery specifically to WAFL Clubs, as there is the potential to create a nine speed participation model whereby if you live in Scarborough, then you may be afforded opportunities that you may miss out on if you live in Seville Grove, due to a particular focus or drive of that WAFL Club. The WAFC must ensure that all segments of the game are supported and developed consistently, so as to ensure football continues to grow.

The WAFC has worked closely with community stakeholders and volunteers over the past two years to finalise a metropolitan community football governance reform strategy, whereby the nine District Football Development Councils (DFDC’s) were reduced to three Regional Development Councils (RDC’s). The intent is to streamline governance processes, reduce volunteer workload and compliance, ensure a consistency of delivery that aligns with strategic direction, and support a more professionally delivered junior competition. This new model has been jointly developed by the WAFC and community stakeholders to ensure the best interests of junior community football are supported and enhanced. Importantly, WAFL clubs are already represented on the RDC’s by the WAFL CEO’s and are fully engaged in the discussions and direction of the respective RDC’s. c. What proportion of your activity would you describe as oversight and what would you describe as delivery?

Like all State Sporting Associations the WAFC plays an integral role in the delivery of programs across Western Australia. We provide both oversight and delivery, depending on the activity involved.

Metropolitan Junior Community Football 100% of the management of competitions in respect to Junior Football is overseen and managed by WAFC staff, as agreed with community stakeholders as part of the recent governance reform.

With respect to the running and management of community clubs, the WAFC provides oversight and assistance to community clubs and volunteers (95% oversight and 5% delivery – both oversight & delivery includes club support).

Auskick is managed by local club-based volunteers, with the WAFC providing support and guidance to volunteers (60% oversight and 40% delivery).

Game Development Activities The majority of Game Development activities are undertaken by frontline WAFC Development staff (95% Delivery and 5% oversight).

WAFL Talent Pathway Since the change in the WA talent model implemented in 2018 the WAFC has been responsible for the delivery of the complete WAFL talent pathway. This delivery work is undertaken however by WAFC staff based within the nine WAFL club environments, representing the WAFL clubs themselves in their uniforms and undertaking the majority of their work within the WAFL club facility. This activity is under review, and the WAFC may decide to move to more of an oversight role, rather than a delivery role, from 2021 on a trial basis. Results will influence whether this trial continues for the longer term.

State Academies The collection of State Academy programs – across both male and female football – are all fully delivered by the WAFC. It is not considered appropriate for Clubs to deliver whole of State activities.

Regional Football The WACFL comprises 25 senior regional leagues. The WAFC provides 70% oversight and 30% competition support to those leagues. Each league has a volunteer Board and competition administration volunteer that manages fixturing and game day logistics.

Similarly, there are 21 individual junior leagues, with the WAFC providing 60% oversight and 40% competition support. The WAFC’s Regional Development staff are more hands-on in some regions of WA than others, generally dependent on volunteer numbers. Regional Auskick is supported to the same level.

When looking at Facility development across the state, the WAFC provides 80% oversight and 20% project planning and management. This varies at different points along the process. At the interim stage, the WAFC plays a support role by seeking/providing AFL seed funding for the project.

The WAFC provides 100% program delivery to Regional Schools and 70% program delivery, 30% support to the regional umpiring programs.

AFL Clubs The WAFC takes an oversight and governance role in respect of West Coast and Fremantle. WAFL Competitions (League, Reserves and Colts) The WAFC oversees the WAFL Competitions, providing an important management role in delivering the rules, fixturing etc for the competitions.

2.10 In regards to the support for development of female participation, specifically Junior (girls) Football community club competition, what role (if any) does the WAFC play in the competition fixture?

Through the new Junior Competition structure, as part of the governance reform undertaken across the DFDC’s for the 2020 season, the WAFC now plays an important and significant lead role in the competition fixturing of all junior competitions (male and female) across the Perth Metropolitan area. This includes the allocation of fixtures for Junior Girls fixtures specifically as identified through the PAC question. It is important to note that the WAFC has only taken on the competition fixturing in 2020, and that this was previously undertaken by community volunteers.

a. Specifically, what is the WAFC’s role in scheduling girls’ games to ensure equitable access to facilities i.e. change rooms, canteen etc.?

In 2020, through a community governance reform process, the WAFC has taken on the role of competition management for junior and youth community football competitions within the Perth Metropolitan area for the first time. This was partly due to an increase in the workload of volunteers and was taken on in order to avoid volunteer burnout. This will enable the WAFC to look at greater opportunities and flexibility regarding fixturing of competitions, including female competitions, in order to ensure an equitable allocation of facilities. The adoption of a ‘hub’ model for female competitions whereby female games are fixtured at one venue is regarded as best practice as a sport builds the critical mass of participation, and then the hub should evolve to a traditional home and away fixture, as the numbers and team numbers increase. This has started to occur now across a number of our female competitions within the junior football environment, which ultimately enables a far more equitable approach to fixturing.

Female Participation in football continues to grow and develop to be one of the fastest growing segments within the game, and the importance of facility development along with an equitable competition fixture is paramount to retention of female participants within the game. The WAFC has identified facility development as an ongoing focus area, including the retrofitting of existing facilities, and we are working with State and Local Government on the ongoing development of female friendly facilities.

The lack of adequate facilities for girls and women’s football is certainly an issue that has been addressed by the WAFC. The WAFC has developed a strategic facilities plan that looks to address the growth of female football from a facilities perspective. We have identified the following:

• 87% of metropolitan area facilities where female football is played are not considered suitable for female participants • 74% of all regional facilities where female football is played are not considered suitable for female participants.

To address this issue, WAFC is undertaking a project to retrofit aged facilities as per the example below regarding the Great Northern Football League and WAFL clubs.

The Great Northern Football League worked together with all 7 of their clubs to retro fit their facilities and the total cost was approx. $100k. This amount was relatively easy to obtain through a combination of Local Government facilities grants, corporate support and AFL funding facilitated by the WAFC.

Other cost-effective examples are: • South Fremantle Football Club home, away and umpires open showers converted to cubicles last year and the total cost was $15,000. (12 shower cubicles). • Perth Football Club home rooms open showers converted to cubicles this year. Total cost $7,000 (five shower cubicles). WAFC is currently working with the South West Football League on a similar initiative to that of the Great Northern Football League example above.

2.11 The table on page 24 of your submission shows that $10.4 million went to WAFL – about $5million as cash distribution, and $5.4million as operating costs a. Does this figure include the operating costs of the WAWFL?

No, this figure does not include operating costs for the WAWFL which is the West Australian Women's Football league. The WAWFL is an affiliate of the WAFC and an independent body. The WAFC is not directly involved in its operations and therefore does not incur operating costs for the WAWFL.

However, the WAFC manages the WAFLW competition (West Australian Football League Women’s) and therefore does incur operating costs for the management and delivery of this competition.

Operating costs totalling $156k for the WAFLW competition are included in the $10.4 million outlined on page 24 of the WAFC submission. In addition, subsidies of $139,000 were paid to the WAFLW Clubs and this figure is included in the $5 million cash distributions. b. How many people are employed for that sum?

There were six staff employed to directly manage and support the WAFL and WAFLW competitions, however this has since been reduced to five in the recent workforce restructure. These six staff (and now reduced to five) are also supported by a number of other staff as listed and described below. c. The submission includes 6 people to manage the WAFL. What other people are involved (e.g., you refer to managing the commercial arrangements, marketing, social media etc.)

There were six staff employed to manage the WAFL and WAFLW competitions, however this has since been reduced to five in the recent workforce restructure.

Outside the core WAFL operations team, the WAFC Commercial and Marketing team have significant responsibilities related to the WAFL competition and WAFL clubs. These roles include: • Communications Specialist • Marketing Manager • Digital Media Co-ordinator • Head of Commercial • Partnerships Specialist • Senior Web Developer.

The two-person Commercial team sources commercial revenue to support the competition, in particular the free to air television broadcast, as well as commercial revenue which is passed directly onto the WAFL clubs themselves. This includes cash supply rights fees from Carlton United Breweries, Coca Cola Amatil, Burley Sekem, ISC and Elastoplast which are negotiated by the WAFC team on behalf of the nine WAFL clubs.

The two-person Marketing team also spends the majority of their time on WAFL related activities. This includes developing marketing strategy to drive match day attendance, coordinating above -the-line advertising for the competition and match days, managing all WAFL-related digital assets (website, social media, mobile app), writing and editing the Football Budget as the official WAFL match day publication, and coordinating the weekly free to air television broadcast.

Other WAFC staff that provide support to the staff directly and specifically contributing to the management of the WAFL and WAFLW competitions are those employed in:

• CEO’s Office, • Finance, • IT, and • Governance and Integrity. d. Is the $1.47million you reported in 2019 for umpiring costs included in that figure?

Yes, of the $1.47 million umpiring costs, $1.3 million was included in the WAFL/WAFLW expenditure of $10.4 million.

Umpiring costs as reported in the 2019 WAFC financial statements include the costs for the Umpiring administration and payments to umpires for the WAFL/WAFLW competition and Community competitions.

The expenditure on Community Umpiring (and shown in the Junior Competition costs) was $140,000.

Within the Regions, umpiring is covered by the Leagues and Clubs.

2.12 This table (see question 11 above) shows that $894,000 was passed on in cash to those levels below WAFL. Does that seem right to you?

Yes, this figure of $894,000 passed on in cash to the levels below WAFL is correct. In terms of whether this is equitable, the allocation of funding is described below and reviewed on a regular basis. a. [If so] that amounts to about 2.9 % of your annual expenditure last year. How do you arrive at that amount?

The following was our response in the PAC Submission in response to the question “What criteria are used to determine what proportion of annual revenue is allocated to which activity carried out for or by the Commission in its role of caretaker for football?” and this explains how the cash figure is arrived at. Of course, as will be clear from this and our previous submission, levels below WAFL receive support in ways other than by the provision of cash.

In summary, the WAFC’s criteria used for the allocation of funding across the industry and for WAFC activities is determined by: • Determining the available revenue for the following year’s budget • Developing an annual operating budget that delivers a better than break even result. • Meeting existing funding agreements with football stakeholders • Allocating funding in line with grant KPI’s and outcomes • Meeting all commercial and sponsorship deliverables • Prioritising funding and resources in line with the WAFC Strategic Plan • Reviewing the trends, opportunities and challenges where specific funding may be required to enhance or support activities. The consideration of how funding is allocated across the industry is primarily driven by the WAFC’s Strategic Plan 2017-2022. This plan was developed through deep consultation and engagement with the industry and determined the key priorities, areas of focus and major reform projects to support the growth and development of WA football. In a changing financial model the WAFC has committed to meeting its long-term funding agreement commitments across the industry, delivering against sponsorship and grant outcomes and prioritising discretionary expenditure in line with the priorities of the WAFC Strategic Plan.

The WAFC operates under a continuous improvement framework where each year a review of performance is undertaken to determine areas for improvement. This process, which includes a deep review of data, trends, feedback and performance, allows the WAFC to identify areas of need or opportunity to support football. A good example of this in practise was the WAFC organisational restructure based on the challenges being faced in connection with regional football. From reviewing all of the participation trends and engagement with WACFL it was determined a new staffing model was required to place greater emphasis on supporting all levels of regional football. The data showed club-based participation was very strong in the metropolitan areas but there were mixed results occurring across Western Australia. Through redesign of structures within existing budgets a new regional football staffing structure was introduced, that has deeply integrated the work between the WAFC and WACFL, established an Executive role to focus on regional football with a team spread across WA looking after junior and senior competitions plus the development of the game. b. The WAFC costs for the non-WAFL affiliates amounts to $4.3million. Is that the total figure expended on those salaries etc?

The $4.3 million is the total cost incurred by the WAFC on behalf of the Affiliates. 97% of the $4.3m is spent on salaries.

Subsequent review of the costs reported in the table on page 23 of the WAFC’s submission to the Public Accounts Committee has identified that some costs were incorrectly allocated to Perth Football League (PFL), when they should have been attributed to Country. The impact of the correction is a reallocation of $300,000 from PFL to other Affiliates in this table. The corrected table is shown below, however there is no change to the total investment by the WAFC on Affiliates. On a per participant basis, this is of course substantially less than the amount invested by the WAFC in the WAFL and WAFLW competitions, including Talent programs.

District WAFC Expenditure (FY19 Actuals) WAFL PFL Country MFL AFLMWA WAWFL Total Competitions WAFC Operating Costs 5,471,675 712,077 1,516,917 - - - 2,070,175 9,770,844 Cash Distributions 4,985,900 356,491 320,320 19,866 32,463 10,000 154,644 5,879,684 Total 10,457,576 1,068,567 1,837,238 19,866 32,463 10,000 2,224,819 15,650,529 c. Please provide a break-down of the WAFC operating costs included in this figure.

The breakdown of the WAFC operating costs of $4.3m between staff and operational expenditure is:

District WAFC Expenditure (FY19 Actuals) PFL Country MFL AFLMWA WAWFL Total Competitions Workforce 697,205 1,432,167 - - - 2,022,987 4,152,358 Operational expenditure 14,872 84,751 - - - 47,188 146,811 Total 712,077 1,516,917 - - - 2,070,175 4,299,169

2.13 For example, the Perth Football League is home to something like 11,500 players and 250+ teams, including 37 women’s teams. For that, it received about $1.5million. That included $490k in cash and about $880k in ‘WAFC expenditure’ – presumably this involves staffing and its share of IT etc. This is less that the equivalent to one WAFL club ($10.5m in total; nine teams; 1/9 = $1.2mill). a. Is this a reasonable redistribution of funds?

The WAFC believes this is a reasonable distribution of funds. The way by which the WAFC distributes funding was outlined earlier in response to question 2.12.a and applies to the allocation of funds to the Perth Football League (PFL). The PFL has been a successful competition that has participation across all segments of their competition, most recently being Integrated football and Women’s Football. The PFL is an Affiliate of the WAFC and operates with an independent Board to oversee the strategy, operation and financial management of the competition and all Clubs involved.

In 2014 the WAFC recorded an annual loss of circa $1 million, which required a reset of the WAFC overall expenditure, structures and funding for Affiliates. This resulted in a reduction in funding to the PFL. At the time, the PFL was considered to be financially sustainable with a track record of annual operating surpluses.

Through effective prudent financial management and effective leadership of the PFL the reduction in funding has not resulted in a decline in competitions or the growth within the PFL. PFL has the ability to charge their Clubs a user fee which can effectively cover both the operational, insurance and overhead costs associated with the competition. The recent growth in female football led by PFL, has not only supported Clubs but also the League in providing a greater participation base.

With reference to the comparison with WAFL Club funding, it is important to reiterate that under our Constitution, one of our objects is to “recognise the WAFL as the pre-eminent football league in the state of Western Australia”. In fulfilling our constitutional objective, we must fund the WAFL competition to that pre-eminent standard. With limited player numbers in the WAFL, there provides little opportunity for generation of self-funding as is available to the PFL, resulting in the requirement for a larger allocation of WAFC funding.

Since 2017 there have been no direct funding requests made to the WAFC from the PFL.

b. How is that figure arrived at?

The funding figure was developed by the WAFC as a result of the financial circumstances post 2014. The funding has then been linked to CPI after this time in line with the conditions of the Affiliation Agreement and via the method outlined in response to question 2.12.a. Each year the WAFC reviews funding across all segments of football to ensure the sustainability of each segment of the game. c. The figure appears to be falling over time – can you explain this?

The PFL receives an annual subsidy from the WAFC that between 2015-2019 has increased each year with CPI. The below graph sets out the annual subsidy paid to the PFL, with $275,000 paid in 2015 increasing to $301,577 in 2019.

This subsidy supplements the PFL’s income from other sources, such as bottom up funding from the significant number of participants in the League, and other sponsorship income negotiated either directly by the PFL or via the WAFC.

In their submission to the PAC, the PFL states that “annual cash funding from the WAFC has reduced over recent years…..the total cash funding reduced by ~40% over the past 6 years”. Funding to all parts of WA football, including PFL was reduced in 2014 when the WAFC realised a $1 million loss.

2.14 Please provide information detailing all steps in the process by which WAFC Board appointments are made. In your response, we ask that you provide: a. detail on the composition of the Nominations Committee;

WAFC Constitution - Article 7.9(a) specifically states:

The Nomination Committee comprises the following 6 persons (each a Representative):

(i) subject to Article 7.9(b), the Chair and one other Commissioner nominated by the Board; (ii) the current chair or president (as the case may be) of IPL; (Indian Pacific Ltd or WCE) (iii) the current chair or president (as the case may be) of FFC; (iv) the current president of the WAFL Council of Presidents; and (v) the current chair or president of the Community Football Advisory Council. b. a breakdown of how voting rights are split across the various Nominee Members, Ordinary Members, and Affiliated Associations at each relevant stage;

There are two stages to the voting process, the first is a postal ballot which is later followed by a secret ballot. The voting rights for both stages are set out below. (WAFC Constitution – Articles 7.10 to 7.26 refer.)

Postal Ballot WAFC Constitution - Article 7.14 specifically states:

At the Football Forum, the Returning Officer must count the votes received and allocate the votes by reference to Annexure A.

Annexure A: Allocation of Votes under Article 7.14 Voter Percentage Total No. of Votes of Votes (1) Ordinary Members 20% 900 IPL 20% 900 FFC 20% 900 WAFL Clubs 30% 1350 (2) Affiliated Associations* 10% 450 100% 4500

Notes to Annexure A: (1) The total number of votes for each voter must be allocated equally for each vacancy on the Board. For example, if there are 3 vacancies to be filled, the Commission receives 300 votes for each vacancy (calculated as 900 divided by 3). (2) Each WAFL Club will receive an equal number of votes. For example, as at the date of adoption of this Constitution there are 9 WAFL Clubs and therefore each WAFL Club will receive 150 votes (calculated as 1350 divided by 9). Those 150 votes must be allocated equally by the relevant WAFL Club for each vacancy to be filled on the Board. For example, if there are 3 vacancies to be filled, each WAFL Club receives 50 votes for each vacancy (calculated as 150 divided by 3).

* The Affiliated Associations vote comprises: Total No. of Per

Votes Candidate PFL 150 50 WACFL 150 50 WAWFL 30 10 Masters 30 10 Metro 30 10 DFDC 30 10 RFDC 30 10 450 150

Secret ballot at the Football Forum Following the conduct of the postal ballot The Returning Officer provides a signed declaration of the outcome of the ballot to the Chair of the Football Forum. (Art 7.15). The Chair must then propose separate resolutions to the Football Forum for the appointment to the Commission of each successful candidate (Art 7.17). A person is appointed if the resolution is passed as an Ordinary Resolution (Art 7.17). If the resolution is not passed the Forum must be adjourned for a reasonable period (Art 7.19). Following the adjournment the resolution which was not passed is put to the meeting for a second time (Art 7.20). If not passed a second time, there is a casual vacancy which can be filled by an appointment by the Commission until the next election (Art 7.22, Art 7.5).

The Football Forum is a General Meeting of the Commission. Votes at General meetings are counted in accordance with Annexure B to the Constitution (Art 22.1).

Annexure B: Allocation of Votes for all Resolutions Voter Percentage of Votes Total No. of Votes

WAFL Clubs 50% 90 (1)

IPL 25% 45 FFC 25% 45

100% 180

Notes to Annexure B: (1) Each WAFL Club will receive an equal number of votes. For example, as at the date of adoption of this Constitution there are 9 WAFL Clubs and therefore, each WAFL Club receives 10 votes (being 90 divided by 9).”

For example, for the 2020 Commissioner Elections, after nominations have closed, the timeline/process is proposed as follows:

2 October 2020 Submitted EOIs (deadline for lodgment is 25 September) forwarded to Nominee Members, Ordinary Members, Affiliated Associations and Nomination Committee Between 5 & 23 Nomination Committee meets to recommend short-list of October 2020 candidates for the ballot paper to the WAFC Board 27 October 2020 WAFC Board convenes to endorse candidates as recommended from the Nomination Committee, which persons are then included on the ballot paper (Endorsed Candidates) 29 October 2020 WAFC to distribute ballot papers (Postal Ballot) and send a notice of the Football Forum to Nominee Members and Affiliated Associations, not less than 14 days after the date the notice is given 30 November 2020 All postal votes must be received by the Returning Officer at least (12.00pm) 48 hours before the time of the Football Forum 3 December 2020 At the Football Forum, the Returning Officer must count the votes received and provide a signed declaration of the results to the Football Forum Chair 3 December 2020 The Football Forum Chair proposes separate resolutions to be considered by the Nominee Members. An Approved Candidate will be appointed as a Commissioner where a resolution confirming his or her appointment is passed by Ordinary Resolution through a secret ballot conducted at the Football Forum

3 December 2020 At the conclusion of the ballot, the Returning Officer counts the votes and returns a signed declaration of the results to the Football Forum Chair and the name of any Approved Candidate

Between the distribution of the ballot papers and the close of voting it is the usual practice to invite the Endorsed Candidates to participate in an interview which may be attended by any representatives of any organization entitled to vote in the ballot. c. detail on what, if any, votes in the process are non-binding.

At no stage within the election process are any of the votes non-binding.

IN RESPONSE TO QUESTION 1.2, WESTERN AUSTRALIAN DRAFTED PLAYERS BY YEAR (MALE)

1988

KEY:

D Duplicate/Drafted twice/Elevated

P Playing currently

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

IN RESPONSE TO QUESTION 1.2, WESTERN AUSTRALIAN DRAFTED PLAYERS BY YEAR (FEMALE)

2017 / 2018

2019