Fremantle have confirmed the appointment of Mark Micallef to the role of list manager, completing the restructure of the club’s football operations ahead of the 2019 season. 

Micallef will report to general manager of football Peter Bell in the newly established role and will commence at the club on 16 January.

He arrives at Fremantle with 10 years experience in the football industry, most recently as a recruiting assistant at the Gold Coast Suns, after previously working as a recruiting officer and football analyst at Adelaide and Essendon.

“I can’t wait to get started and I’m looking forward to working with such a well-established football club and working with everyone involved,” Micallef said.

Micallef, who has a double degree with a Bachelor in Exercise Science and Human Movement and a Bachelor in Sport and Recreation Management, will be based at Fremantle’s training and administration facility at Cockburn Central.

“It’s a national competition and we have David Walls as our national draft manager (in Melbourne), so we’re still looking at talent all around Australia,” Micallef said.

“For me, it’s about being in WA with the playing group and understanding what we need from a whole football club capacity and having a line across all of the different departments."

Bell said the club was excited to add Micallef to the team.

“Mark was our preferred applicant from a very strong field and we’re delighted to have him on board,” Bell said.

“He has a wide experience from working with three different AFL clubs and he’s someone that we know will help keep us at the forefront of any future changes and trends in the industry.

“It’s important to have Mark across the everyday workings of the club and we look forward to welcoming him to the club when he starts in January.

“In the past three seasons, we have brought 32 new players into the club, including targeted recruits and youth through the draft, and Mark will work hard with our recruiting team to fine tune our list in the coming seasons.”