Board of Directors - Swan Districts FC

Peter Hodyl - President

Re- elected to the Board in 2020 for a further 3 year term. Peter was first elected in 2012 and appointed President in 2014. Peter is a former premiership player and club captain at the club with a history in Bassendean and surrounds totalling over 50 years. With strong community values Peter believes everyone has an obligation to give back to the community as those before you have. Peter's main priority is working closely with Swans board of management and an extremely talented team across all areas of the club to ensure the club remains competitive both on and off the field. Sustainability and building a very strong community focussed future are significant areas identified as critical to the future wellbeing of the club. 

Peter's paid employment is a Station Officer with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Peter also ran very successful businesses in Plumbing and Franchising before focusing on his role in emergency services.

Des Hardiman - Treasurer

Re- elected to the Board in 2020 for a further 3 year term. Des is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Accountants, a Member of the Governance Institute of Australia and a Justice of the Peace. He recently retired following a 30 year career in the education industry being the Bursar/ Business Manager for a number of independent schools. Prior to that, Des worked in accounting positions for a number of businesses, including 5 years as the accountant for Swan Districts between 1981 and 1985. He has had a strong community and sporting involvement over many years including positions on numerous Boards and committees. Des has been a past President and member of the Swansmen Committee since 2013, and a member of the Past Players & Officials Association since 1985.

Ian Westmore

Re-appointed to the Board in 2021 for a three-year term. Ian is a passionate Swans supporter with many years of experience and leadership in the Swan Districts community. Between 2012 and 2020, Ian was the Chair of the Swan Districts Football Development Council and a member of the West Australian Football Commission Council of Chairs, helping build a strong connection between the club and the junior football clubs in its metropolitan community.

Ian spent 14 years working in the Western Australia Police Force’s Community Engagement Division where he drove community engagement and activation, particularly in the at-risk youth space, holding various leadership roles: Chair of the Midland Midnight Basketball Committee, which implemented and ran a highly successful and widely acknowledged youth-at-risk engagement program in Midland between 2009 and 2015, and President of the Midland PCYC Advisory Committee between 2010 and 2020. Ian also led or played key roles in corporate-wide programs in the WA Police Force, including the successful and award winning Bikelinc and ewatch programs.

Ian and his wife moved to Mt Barker in the Great Southern in mid-2021 to support and assist family members in their twilight years. He now holds the role of Operations Manager at the Museum of the Great Southern and continues to serve Swans in a remote capacity while still achieving the goals and outcomes of his directorship.

Ian’s appetite for football was evident at a young age while playing junior football, and further grew as he represented the Victorian School Boys team as Vice-Captain, and when recruited to Melbourne Football Club at the age of 15. Injuries cut Ian’s football playing career short, however his passion and commitment to the game, the people and the community of football, and to its extensive benefits, has never waned.

Brendan Valentine - Secretary

Elected to the Board in 2021 for a 3 year term. Brendan was a past Swans Colts and senior squad player before leaving Perth to focus on his career. In his role as Risk Manager for Woodside Energy, he helps organisations identify and manage uncertainty, to enable them to achieve their objectives while protecting what is important. Brendan provides governance, risk and compliance insights to executive leaders and Boards of Directors. This information supports making risk informed decisions and enables organisations to align their business strategy with their risk appetite.

Brendan was formerly on the Advisory Board for the Good Chat Foundation and has previously been on the Swans Finance and Risk Committee and Governance and Risk Committee. He’s assisted with overseeing the club’s policies, procedures and financial management and was instrumental behind the creation of the club’s risk management policy and plan.

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Ken Wyatt

The Hon Ken Wyatt AM JP BEd, DepEd, DipT served as the Member for Hasluck in the Federal Parliament from 2010 to 2022. He was the first Indigenous Australian elected to the House of Representatives, first Indigenous Australian appointed the Executive Council to the Commonwealth Ministry, and the first Aboriginal Australian to serve in Cabinet when he was appointed Minister for Indigenous Australians (2019-2022). 

Serving as Australia’s first Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken was able to secure the historic National Agreement on Closing the Gap and established the Indigenous Voice. Ken also pioneered the National Roadmap on Indigenous Skills, Jobs and Wealth Creation and was instrumental in the Commonwealth Government securing the copyright to the Aboriginal Flag. 

As the Member for Hasluck, Ken won four consecutive elections (2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019) making him the longest serving Member for the electorate. In his first term of Parliament, he was appointed as a member of the Expert Panel on the Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians, Member House Of Representatives Standing Committee On Health And Ageing, and Deputy Chair and member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee On Human Rights Committee.

He also served as Co-Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Member Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, Member Cabinet Sub Committee; Indigenous Policy. Ken also served as Minister for Aged Care, Minister for Indigenous Health and Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians. Before entering politics, he worked in health, education and Aboriginal Affairs public service roles in WA and NSW.

Not only has Ken had an extensive career in health, education, Aboriginal Affairs and Aboriginal Land issues he has also made an enormous contribution to the wider community. This was recognised in 1996 when he was awarded the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list and in 2000 the Centenary of Federation Medal for ‘his efforts and contribution to improving the quality of life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and mainstream Australian society in education and health.

Since 2011 Ken has been the Swan District Football Club patron and co patron with Dr Bruce Robinson.

Jeff Dennis - Chief Executive Officer

Jeff was born in Perth and has a Diploma of Teaching, Bachelor of Education, Graduate Diploma in Marketing and a Master in Business Administration. He’s worked in sport management for almost three decades including GM Commercial for the National Basketball League, Marketing Manager and CEO of Perth Glory, CEO of Allia Venue Management responsible for the management of NIB Stadium (now HBF Park), CEO of Swan Districts Football Club, and various other roles in Western Australian soccer and with Basketball WA and the WA Football Commission. He’s also been the owner and Managing Director of several commercial retail companies.

Jeff has been a Director/Deputy Chair at Basketball WA for almost 7 years. He has broad management experience covering corporate governance, strategic planning, financial management, senior leadership, risk management, marketing, event management, government relations, and building commercial and government partnerships.

He represented WA in five Australian Basketball Championships in the 1980’s, represented Australia in an Under 20’s team, played in a championship basketball team with Swan Districts in 1985, and also played for the Perth Wildcats.