Glen Bartlett on shortlist of candidates for West Australian Football Commission role
Ex-Dees president Glen Bartlett has been short-listed for a key footy position that could create a delicate political situation given his continuing legal disputes with the AFL and Melbourne.
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Former Melbourne president Glen Bartlett is on a shortlist to be added to the West Australian Football Commission, creating a delicate political situation for the AFL.
Bartlett remains embroiled in legal disputes with the Demons and the AFL after being replaced as the club’s president in the 2021 season ahead of the club’s run to a premiership.
The WAFC will this year look to elect three commissioners, with incumbents Mark Hann and Michelle Fyfe standing for re-election while former chairman Wayne Martin is stepping away.
WA football sources believe that Hann and Fyfe are under pressure to hold their spots with former Fremantle player Brad Wira who has worked with the AFLPA, and mental health advocate Nicole Jolly considered frontrunners to be elected.
Meanwhile the WAFC will seek someone with a strong legal background to fill the vacancy left by former chief justice Martin.
Bartlett is in a four-way race for that position, up against industrial and sports lawyer Will Robinson, WAFL Arbitrator Brendan Taylor and Insolvency and restructuring lawyer Alistair Fleming who also acts for the West Coast Eagles’ AFL. AFLW and WAFL teams.
While Bartlett is by no means a shoo-in to get on the board which governs the ownership of the two AFL teams and guides WA football with particular responsibility for WAFL, community and grassroots football, he is understood to have strong support from the WAFL clubs who carry significant voting power under the WAFC election process.
Getting onto the WAFC is no simple matter. Candidates face scrutiny from the two AFL clubs West Coast and Fremantle who each carry 20 per cent of voting power, the nine WAFL clubs who carry a further 30 per cent, community and country football leagues who have 20 per cent of the vote with the final ten per cent going to “ordinary members”.
The unanimous support of the WAFL clubs and the support of one AFL club will usually guarantee a candidate election.
The WAFL clubs met with several candidates this week – ahead of short-listed candidates presenting to the voters on Monday.
It is understood Bartlett did not meet with the WAFL clubs this week because he had interstate work commitments.
When contacted about his candidacy Bartlett indicated he would not be able to comment until Monday because of work commitments interstate.
But it is understood that at this point, of the four lawyers in the running for Martin’s vacant spot he is the WAFL clubs’ candidate of choice.
Long before he was President of Melbourne, Bartlett was an inaugural squad member at West Coast, playing four games for the Eagles in 1987 before injuries cut short his AFL career.
He has a strong affiliation with the East Perth Royals where he played 153 games over a 10 year period and he also went on to play football in country WA before his retirement.
Bartlett has ongoing legal actions against current and former Melbourne board members and the AFL and has launched fresh actions in the past month.
Originally published as Glen Bartlett on shortlist of candidates for West Australian Football Commission role
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