At the completion of the 2023 AFL Women’s Season, current Fremantle Dockers Executive General Manager (EGM) of Football, Peter Bell will assume a new role on the Club’s executive as EGM of Football Talent, Strategy and Special Projects. 

The Club’s current Chief Operating Officer, and former GM of Football Operations & Performance, Joe Brierty will take on the role as Fremantle’s EGM of Football. 

Following a review of the Club’s AFL and AFLW programs throughout August and September, it was identified that a restructure of roles would help improve outcomes and enable a greater strategic focus on talent both on and off the field, and on broader Club projects. 

Since 2018, Bell’s leadership has steered all aspects of the Club’s football department, including the Covid-impacted years of 2020 and 2021, where he diligently managed players and staff to ensure the Club remained competitive, and helped lead the AFL program’s return to finals in 2022. 

Bell said he was excited for the new role and challenge to broaden his skillset beyond his football remit. 

“What we have been able to achieve over the past five years has been significant from a football structure, personnel and development perspective, and now there is an opportunity to find our next level of growth for both AFL and AFLW from a talent and overall strategic point of view,” Bell said. 

“It’s also the result of ongoing conversations between Simon and I over the course of the past 12 months about how I could keep building my expertise across the business. 

“While the majority of my time will remain dedicated towards football talent and personnel identification and acquisition, the opportunity to have responsibilities outside my core football remit excites me.” 

Bell will remain on the Club’s executive team overseeing talent and list management in collaboration with David Walls and Bob Murphy for AFL and AFLW respectively. The role will also see Bell work closely with the Club’s Next Generation Academy.

Brierty will be responsible for all elements of the football department, including coaching, high performance, talent and list management, medical, wellbeing, innovation, leadership and culture. 

CEO Simon Garlick said the introduction of the new role would help drive the Club’s next phase of growth. 

“Peter has given his all overseeing our football operations for AFL and AFLW for the past five years,” Garlick said. 

“Every year we continue to review all aspects of the business and identify areas where we can elevate and grow as a Club.

“Working with Joe and Peter following a standard review of all facets of our football programs, we identified an opportunity to introduce a new role to ensure we have a strong strategic focus on talent identification and acquisition of football personnel across both our men’s and women’s programs. 

“It also allows us to elevate what we are doing from a business development point of view and have Peter involved with key stakeholder relations and Club projects.” 

Since joining Fremantle’s football operations team in 2010, Brierty has become a key Club leader, managing a number of areas in football administration before assuming the role of Chief Operating Officer in 2021, where he has since overseen strategic projects, leadership and culture, HR, risk and integrity, facilities, IT and the Club’s ESG portfolio. 

“Joe Brierty has been a big part of the significant strategic growth of our Club over an extended period and he will work closely with Peter to ensure we are maximising our efficiencies in football as we keep pushing for the Club’s inaugural Premiership,” Garlick said. 

“Joe is an outstanding administrator who has all the attributes to lead our football department to contend over an extended period and deliver the ultimate success.  

“His recent experiences across a diverse portfolio and broad areas of responsibility will be invaluable as we enter our next phase of football growth and performance.”

Brierty said he was looking forward to returning to the Club’s football department. 

“I’m extremely passionate and excited about the Club and the direction we are taking,” Brierty said. 

“I’ve enjoyed being able to extend myself outside of football these past few years across strategic operations at the Club and feel I can bring a new perspective to our vision to be a brave, strong and successful football Club. 

“I’m looking forward to working with Justin, Peter and the football management group to ensure we keep building an environment that enables our players and staff to deliver on their potential and achieve the long-term success that our Club deserves.”