The Club has released the following statement after receiving AFL special assistance
The West Coast Eagles have today received a draft and list assistance package after approval from the AFL Commission.
The special assistance includes:
An end-of-first-round selection in the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft (currently pick 19)
Four additional rookie list spots (funded by the Club) for AFL seasons 2026, 2027 and 2028
The AFL has reserved the right to review or alter the provision of assistance in 2027 or 2028.
West Coast Eagles CEO Don Pyke welcomed the assistance and thanked the League for considering the Club’s submission.
“We sincerely appreciate the AFL’s engagement, consideration and approval of the Club’s request,” Pyke said today.
“Submitting an assistance request was not a decision we took lightly, and the Club accepts and takes responsibility for previous decisions which contributed to our current situation of four successive years of bottom-three finishes.
“There have been comprehensive changes at senior levels of our Club and Football Department recently, including the appointments of our senior coach Andrew McQualter and Head of Football John Worsfold.
“Our submission highlighted factors – such as the compromised nature of recent national drafts – that have increased the challenge of rebuilding our playing list, while also considering the broader implications for the competition of sustained poor on-field performance.
“Equalisation is a core pillar of the AFL and, as such, we believed our Club qualified for assistance, which we are committed to using responsibly in alignment with our clear list management strategy to take us forward.
“We also continue to invest significantly in our Football Department, above the Soft Cap, and are building a strong development culture to improve our current situation as quickly as possible.”