Peel Thunder has announced the departure of Paul Lekias as chief executive of the WAFL club.
Peel Thunder Football Club announced on Thursday afternoon that CEO Paul Lekias would be departing the club "to take on a new opportunity".
Prior to his five-year stint as CEO of the Mandurah-based Thunder, Mr Lekias spent many years with the WA Football Commission (now WA Football) as both facility services and general manager of the now-demolished Subiaco Oval.
Issuing a statement on the club’s Facebook page, the Thunder praised Mr Lekias’ vision and commitment during his tenure.
Mr Lekias said he would wish “nothing but the very best” for the Thunder moving forward.
“I want to sincerely thank our club, our board, our staff, our sponsors, our volunteers, our members, Peel Thunder fans and the wider community that we, as a club, are so fortunate to represent,” he said.
“The support for me in the role has been enormous and something I will be forever grateful for.
“It has been challenging, but extremely rewarding at the same time, and the group of people we have been able to attract and more importantly, retain at the club, are the best in the competition.
“I leave knowing that the club will continue to be a leader across many areas in developing elite talent and creating pillars of our community.
“I wish the Peel Thunder Football Club nothing but the very best, and I will continue supporting their push for sustained success.”
Mr Lekias told Business News he will officially finish up at the end of the month, following the AFL pre-season fixture between Fremantle and Adelaide at Lane Group Stadium on February 28.
The Thunder CEO role is currently being advertised on SEEK, with applications closing on February 23.
Factoring in Mr Lekias’ departure at the end of the month, six WAFL clubs – East Fremantle, East Perth, Perth, Peel, Subiaco and Swan Districts – have had a CEO change over the past two years.
This included the departure of Peter Capes at the Lions following 15 years at helm and Jeff Dennis, who was CEO at Swans for nine years.
The three longest current serving WAFL club CEOs are Claremont’s Darcy Coffey (2018-), South Fremantle’s Cam Britt (2019-) and West Perth boss Joe McCarthy has led the Falcons since May 2020.
