Don Pyke says he's taking over as West Coast's chief executive officer at a pivotal time for the AFL club.
Pyke, who carved a distinguished playing career at the Eagles before moving into coaching and business, has been appointed to replace Trevor Nisbett as CEO.
The former Adelaide head coach will leave his current role as a Sydney assistant to join the Eagles from next January.
He takes over the CEO role after West Coast finished last and second-last in the past two seasons.
“This is a pivotal time for our club, our people and our supporters to pursue excellence to attain success again," Pyke said in a statement on Thursday.
“I am excited to be returning home to a club I love ... where I have such wonderful memories and am proud and honoured to be given the responsibility to lead the club forward."
Pyke's stellar playing career at the Eagles included two premierships among his 132 AFL games from 1989-96. He is a Hall of Famer and life member of the club.
After retiring from playing, Pyke was a director of the Eagles.
The 54-year-old holds a bachelor of commerce degree and worked as an accountant before joining the finance division of a seismic data company.
He coached WAFL club Claremont for two seasons, had assistant coaching stints at Adelaide and West Coast, before holding the Crows' head coaching job from 2016-19.
After parting with Adelaide, Pyke went to Sydney to join John Longmire's coaching panel as an assistant.
West Coast chairman Paul Fitzpatrick said Pyke had impeccable credentials for the CEO role.
"Don's football pedigree is outstanding, having worked as a senior coach, player and serving as a board director at our club," Fitzpatrick said in a statement.
"He has also held a number of senior business leadership roles.
“His unique experience gives him unrivalled knowledge of all aspects of the club’s operations, both on-field and off.
“However it is his knowledge of football operations that we know will prove invaluable as the club builds on its strong foundations to once again experience on-field success.”
Nisbett had held the CEO job since 1999.
