ANALYSIS: The Perth Football Club has taken a leaf out of East Perth's book as it aims to end its lengthy league premiership drought.
ANALYSIS: The Perth Football Club has endured a lean run of WAFL success, with its last league premiership way back in 1977.
Aside from a league grand final appearance the following year, reserves flags in 1996 and 2021 – along with a promising Jermaine Davis-inspired 1997 league campaign which was cut short by eventual premier South Fremantle in the preliminary final – devoted “Redleg” supporters have had little to cheer about.
Despite this, the Demons have had no shortage of talented players come through the ranks courtesy of their metropolitan and country zones.
Lance “Buddy” Franklin from Dowerin. Leon Davis from Northam. Chance Bateman from York. Logan McDonald from Coorow. These players are just a handful which went on to play at AFL level.
Then of course, there has been a whole tier of players who enjoyed prolonged success at league level – including Darren Rigby, Andrew Taylor and Scott Siekierka to name a few.
Despite this, sustained success has eluded the Demons.
Over the past 25 years, some notable VFL/AFL-experienced coaches have been brought in to turn things around at league level – including Stan Magro, Andrew Jarman, Simon Eastaugh, Earl Spalding, Garry Moss and Peter German.
To date, the club only has one league finals appearance, in 2020, to show for it. Having said this, the Demons are presently in fifth spot with a 10-point buffer, with finals in 2025 a real possibility.
On Monday, Perth announced following a seven-month interim period, it had appointed Jared Bell as its full-time CEO.
Mr Bell, who previously worked as the club’s partnerships and business development manager, stepped up following the departure of Russell Clark in late-November.
The appointment of Mr Bell, 29, follows on from earlier this year when the Royals appointed longstanding business development and operations manager James Sansalone to succeed Dean Turner as CEO.
It also appears to be another sign that WAFL clubs are now shifting towards younger CEOs in order to explore non-traditional revenue streams and stakeholder relationships as the state league enters a new era.
“Stepping into this role is both a great responsibility and an opportunity to lead meaningful change,” Mr Bell told the club’s website.
“My focus is on driving the club forward, modernising how we operate and setting a new standard for success, both on and off the field.”
Mr Bell played 46 games for the Demons in the late 2010s, before his playing career ended due to injury. Off the field, he’s been employed at Mineral Resources Park with the club for seven years.
Perth posted a loss of $24,768 last year, down from a net surplus of $6,824 in 2023, despite the club’s revenue rising by $224,394 to $3.1 million.
As of October 31 2024, the Demons had a total equity of $888,972 – with $684,401 in its reserve fund and the remaining $204,571 courtesy of retained surpluses.
