Commission chief kicked key goals

The football merry-go-round has been in full swing over the past few weeks.

It almost seems there is a fixed pool of capable people at the higher levels of the game. And they jump from job to job. The names are the same, only the colours of their polo shirts change.

Yet there will be a significant figure missing from the top of the code next season. Not surprisingly, there has been little fanfare around his departure. Maybe if he worked for a club, not a State organisation, his legacy might be more prominent.

But it hasn't been Wayne Bradshaw's style to seek the limelight. And it is a trait that has served the local game so well for a decade.

When Bradshaw took over the reins of the WA Football Commission at the turn of the century the local industry was in great turmoil.

One WA AFL club was close to running out of money, another was undergoing great pains on the field, WAFL outfits were fighting the commission and each other and there were great pains at grass roots level.
It took a steady hand, one that put self-interest aside (a rare trait in the sporting caper), to guide WA football over treacherous ground.

As he leaves his post Bradshaw can be content football is a fully integrated and thriving State industry. The WAFC looks after everything from AFL matches to Auskick. West Coast and Fremantle are healthy, the WAFL, while always going to struggle, have enjoyed their best crowds since the 90s and opportunities exist for football people to advance along a solid talent pathway - from juniors to the AFL.

One of the most significant achievements was Peel. That might seem strange considering the Thunder league team has more wooden spoons than a kitchen warehouse.

However, the Mandurah region is full of families. Football needed a shop window in that fertile sporting area to lure in the wealth of talent on offer. And it was imperative Peel provided that opportunity - even if it cost. The recent rescue package set up by the WAFC has evolved into a wonderful new clubroom set-up club that will underpin the club's growth for decades.

Bradshaw, with the guidance of then WAFC chairman Neale Fong, didn't perform miracles and there are still hot spots for WA football, the most important the code's stadium issue - a topic close to the heart of Bradshaw, who used to manage Patersons Stadium before moving up the commission ladder.

However, when football is dealing with the government over what it can get in terms of a new venue to underwrite its operations, Bradshaw can be confident that the local game can present its case from a position of strength.