Special Report: The business of sport

Sport can be a tough business, both on and off the field. Despite WA’s strong economy and penchant to spend, corporate sponsorship is as hard as ever for some sporting codes to score.

There’s no question Western Australia needs a bigger and better outdoor stadium for football and cricket, as well as a dedicated rectangular stadium for rugby and soccer; the questions that remain are where to put them and who will rule.

Fears held by the state’s two AFL clubs about the impact of Super 14 club the Western Force on the corporate hospitality market have proved unfounded, with boxes for all three clubs sold out for the 2007 season.

Fans of A-League soccer team Perth Glory had cause to celebrate last week when the team announced its long-awaited takeover by a trio of prominent Perth businessmen.

Former Australian cricketer and Western Australian captain, Graeme Wood, is gearing up for his toughest test yet, as the new chief executive of the WA Cricket Association.

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.

In the first of a series of interviews with the state's leading sporting coaches, John Worsfold provides an insight into some of the strategies he uses to drive the West Coast Eagles' success.