West Coast CEO Trevor Nisbett will not be seeking an extension beyond his current deal after another disastrous season for the club in 2023.
After finishing 17th last year with just two wins, the Eagles took out the wooden spoon this year after recording just three wins.
Nisbett’s deal will run out at the end of the 2024 season, but the club will begin the search for his successor from this summer.
He has been at the club since 1989, having served a nine-year stint as the Eagles’ GM of football before becoming the CEO in 1999.
Nisbett will leave the Eagles as one of the most respected football administrators in the AFL, and he is the only administrator to be in West Coast’s hall of fame.
West Coast has won all four of its premierships while Nisbett has been at the club.
“I have been speaking to the Board for several months and we have agreed that the club needs to start the process of finding a new Chief Executive as I will not be seeking an extension to my current contract. I have also relayed the message to my staff this morning,” he said in a club statement in part on Wednesday.
“No expansion club in the national competition has been as successful as the West Coast Eagles.
“As I work with the chair and board on the next stage of the club’s leadership, I want to assure our members that I will do everything I can to leave the club on the right track with the right foundations for the next phase of success. This will mean staying the course and heading back to the draft for a third successive year.
“I promise to do whatever I can to ensure the next CEO has the best start possible to deliver on the next phase, at which time I look forward to thanking my executive team, the staff, players, sponsors, members and fans for their commitment to our club, both past and present.”
Nisbett was given a glowing endorsement from club chairman Paul Fitzpatrick.
“No one in the history of our club has matched the impact that Trevor has had on our club and we will forever be indebted to him,” he said in the Eagles statement.
“The strong on-field performances are an obvious barometer but he has been a visionary with so many of the off-field initiatives of our club.
“But we agree the time is now right to implement a succession plan and we will begin the search for the next CEO, given Trevor is not seeking to extend his tenure.”