DARREN MONCRIEFF
Friday 16 December 2011
ON THE first day of the new year, Larry Kickett will take his place on the board of the West Australian Football Commission, thereby becoming the first Indigenous man to hold such a lofty position with the game's governing body in the west.
The position is a three-year term and in that time the Nyoongar man will lend his extensive administrative and football expertise to several issues facing West Australian football.
Kickett (pictured) played over 200 league games with East Perth and Claremont in the WAFL and was a premiership player with the Royals in 1978. He is a life member of East Perth.
He was asked earlier this year to nominate for one of seven vacant positions on the board.
Kickett and former Claremont and Richmond rover Michael Mitchell put their hat into the ring. Kickett survived the first and second culls and was voted in during elections held last week. He joins three other new faces on the WAFC board.
"They (the WAFC) weren't saying, 'We must have an Indigenous person on the board', they were just keen to see what was out there," Kickett said.
"I got asked to think about nominating six or seven months ago and so I think I'm here more for my footy background and what I've done and been.
"I've played footy across all levels of WA, and I've coached senior football and in the WAFL; I bring that experience to the commission and also my vast experience in administration."
While Kickett will know from January 1 what specific issues the WAFC want to tackle, and his role in that, he nominated the new stadium, grassroots football and keeping Indigenous youth, male and female, in football as key issues.
"I think at the moment we're doing pretty well across the spectrum of football in terms of Indigenous players in the AFL and quite a number in the WAFL," Kickett said.
"I suppose the one problem we have is providing support for the young kids coming through from the country to the city. For example, Waylen Manson from Billiluna, a huge talent but who wasn't picked in the (AFL) draft, what happens to him now?
"(WAFL club) Swan Districts have a good (support) model in place, as does Claremont, (a model) which we could use across all WAFL clubs. That's one thing I'd be pushing for because the community shares in these benefits as well."
A key issue the WAFC will face is a new home for football.
The WA Liberal government, under Premier Colin Barnett, has given the green light to build a new stadium at Burswood, reclaimed swamp land to the east of Perth's CBD on which WA's only casino is built.
West Coast, Fremantle and football has outgrown 40,000-seat capacity Subiaco Oval, the game's spiritual home, and in its place is a plan to build a state-of-the-art facility that will seat between 50- to 60,000 people.
Also facing the WAFC is the AFL's request for the commission to relinquish the licences of the two West Australian AFL clubs, West Coast and Fremantle.
Kickett can also see a need to keep the nine WAFL clubs' facilities up to date.
"I was in Mandurah recently and had a look at Peel Thunder's state-of-the-art facilities," he said.
"To ensure that we have a good competition, become a good second-tier (to the AFL) competition and continue to be a quality breeding ground for AFL talent, I just think that the rest of the WAFL clubs can have similar facilities.
"Then there's the lifeblood of the game -- volunteers, a huge part of our game. And attracting more umpires to the game …. really, there's a whole raft of issues we need to tackle, moving away from Subiaco Oval is going to be the big one."
Outside football, Kickett is Aboriginal mentor and community advisor with mining company Chevron in WA's north-west.
Picture © West Coast Cowan Football Club
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Last Modified on 16/12/2011 13:06