Hart to take a back seat

Rick Hart has revealed he will step down as president of Fremantle Football Club in 2009, leaving recently appointed board member Richard Goyder as a contender for the top job.

Mr Goyder, who is chief executive of Wesfarmers, was appointed to Fremantle’s board in December, just a fortnight after the club re-appointed Mr Hart as president for a third term on November 30.

He joins Mel Ashton, Tony Buhagiar and Ben Allan on the eight-member board.

Mr Hart has been at the helm of the Dockers board since 2002 and was re-elected until November 30 2009.

“Time goes pretty quickly and I think by the end of 2009 I will have done all I can, and hopefully the club will have achieved what it set out to [win a premiership]”, Mr Hart told WA Business News.

He said the club would “develop an heir apparent” during the next three years, but nobody had been appointed yet.

When asked if he would consider taking on the presidency, Mr Goyder said: “I am delighted to have joined the board and I’m looking forward to working with a quality group of people. That is all I am focused on right now.”

Mr Hart said Mr Goyder’s appointment in December was great for the board, with his business acumen and passion for the football club certain to be an asset.

“He is not only a capable administrator but he is a great person and he has a great deal of experience,” Mr Hart said.

Mr Goyder replaced Gary Berrell, who was a director of the club from March 2002 until December.

At the time of the board changes, Mr Hart said it was a sign of strength that Fremantle could attract someone of Mr Goyder’s credentials to the board.

The presidency of The West Coast Eagles is also set for a change, with deputy chairman and Azure Capital managing director, Mark Barnaba, taking over from chairman Dalton Gooding on November 1.