Chris Maple has been part of the Western Bulldogs football department for the past 12 seasons.

He has held a variety of roles since joining the Club following a successful stint as coach of the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup.

Maple worked on the expansion of the Bulldogs' development program after holding the position of Development Manager, and was named the AFL Development Coach of the Year in 2013.

He led the Footscray Bulldogs to the VFL premiership in 2014 – the team’s first year back in the state league – and in late 2014 was promoted to the position of Head of Development at the Kennel. He  acted as a match-day assistant coach in the Bulldogs’ 2016 AFL premiership triumph.

Over the past five years, Maple has held roles as General Manager of Football, Coaching + Performance Manager and Coaching + Operations Manager.