Peter Bell reveals whether he will apply to become next chief executive of WA Football

Former Fremantle champion Peter Bell has revealed his hat is not in the ring to become the next chief executive of WA Football. Bell — who joined the game’s governing body in the State last year — says he is fully focused on his current role helping to nurture the development of WA’s next AFL and AFLW footballers. The ex-Dockers skipper is WA Football’s executive manager of performances pathways and development, a job he took up after a six-year stint as an executive and football boss at his old club. Bell, who also boasts a law degree and has several years of experience in the media, would likely have figured among the leading candidates to replace the outgoing Michael Roberts, who The West Australian last year revealed will step down at the end of this month. But Bell told The West he had opted to not put himself forward for the role. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the right candidate. It’s not something I’ll be applying for,” he said. “I’m absolutely dedicated to the role I currently have. “It’s an exciting time for WA football, obviously, and Michael’s been a great steward over the past five years. “It’ll be exciting to see who that next person is to guide us into the delivery of our next strategic plan and making sure that Australian rules football continues to be the game for all West Australians, which is the mantra we live by.” The AFL, State Government and WA Football announced on Saturday $1.5 million of the windfall from the blockbuster return of AFL Origin in Perth would go towards the game’s grassroots in the State. WA Football will put the funding towards bolstering the development of players in regional areas, alongside those with Indigenous and multicultural backgrounds. Bell, who grew up in Kojonup in the State’s Great Southern, said the cause was especially close to his heart. “The funding that has been made available through this AFL Origin Community Fund, that’s something I want to make sure is distributed and allocated for maximum impact over a sustainable period of time,” he said. “I’m very, very happy with where I am at the moment.” According to a job advertisement published last month, WA Football are searching for a candidate with “proven senior executive leadership experience in a complex sporting, not-for-profit or commercial organisation” and one who has had “demonstrated success leading multi-disciplinary teams and building high-performance cultures.”