WAFL 2025: WA Football executive Jon Haines quits to take top Western Australian Institute of Sport role

Highly-touted executive Jon Haines has left WA Football after only seven months, taking a role at the Western Australian Institute of Sport as chief operating officer. The West Australian can reveal WAFL chief executives were informed that Haines would finish in his role as executive manager of football operations and strategy, which he has held since February. Haines was touted as a potential successor to WA Football chief executive Michael Roberts, who informed key stakeholders in May that he was likely to leave the role at the end of the year. It was Haines’ third stint at WA Football, having been executive manager of football operations from August 2015 to December 2017 and high-performance manager from 2007 to 2009. “WAIS has an outstanding reputation for developing and supporting athletes across a wide range of sports. I feel privileged to be joining the team and look forward to working with staff, coaches and partners to continue building an environment where athletes can thrive,” Haines said. Haines has vast AFL experience, having held several roles at North Melbourne from 2009 to 2014, including head of development and general manager of football operations. He was also the general manager of football operations at Gold Coast for three years before returning to WA. WAIS chair Neale Fong said Haines’ leadership and experience would be invaluable for WAIS athletes as they target success at the LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. “We are thrilled to welcome Jon to WAIS. His diverse experience, coupled with his people-focused approach, will play a critical role in ensuring we continue to deliver for our athletes, coaches, and partners,” Fong said. It leaves former Fremantle captain and executive Peter Bell as the favourite to take over from Roberts should he depart this year. Insiders within WA Football told The West Australian in May that Roberts would like 2025 to be his final year in one of the most powerful sporting roles in the State. Bell joined WA Football at the start of this year in the newly created role of executive manager of performance pathways and development after more than five years at Fremantle, where was executive general manager of football and executive general manager of football talent, strategy and special projects before he departed in October. South Fremantle chief executive Cam Britt is also considered a top contender, with the Bulldogs preparing for a big finals series with all three men’s grades in action. Britt has been at the helm of the Bulldogs for nearly six years, having joined in 2019 after leaving the Joondalup Wolves.