St Kilda have appointed David Misson to the executive general manager of football role on a full-time basis after he spent the past nine months in the role on an acting basis.

Misson stepped into the role in the wake of Geoff Walsh's sudden departure earlier this year due to family reasons, with the experienced operator leaving Moorabbin six weeks on from his initial appointment.

In the months since, Misson has looked to juggle several roles after first returning to St Kilda in a position that was set to see him involved with the club's coaching, high performance and medical departments.

On Friday the Saints confirmed Misson has stepped into the head of football role on a full-time basis with immediate effect.

โ€œIt was great to see David relish the opportunity to take on the responsibilities of the EGM Footy role across the season,โ€ Chief Executive Officer Simon Lethlean said.

โ€œHaving worked in not only the AFL industry, but also NRL and cricket over the past 25 years, David's experienceย in high performance sportย is undeniable.

โ€œGoing into this year, we knew David as a talented and proven high-performance manager, butย throughout this period he was also able to show his ability to manage people, performance and operations across all areas of the program.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 13: Ross Lyon, Senior Coach of the Saints speaks with General Manager David Misson during a St Kilda Saints AFL training session at RSEA Park on March 13, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

โ€œDavid's strong relationship with Ross also enabled him to quickly implement many of the systems, processes and standards that are required of a highly competitive and demanding football program.

โ€œI look forward to continuing to work with David, Ross and our whole football department as we head toward pre-season and the lead into Season 2024.โ€

Misson was with St Kilda during senior coach Ross Lyon's first tenure with the club before moving into conditioning roles with Melbourne and NRL club the Sydney Roosters.

He expressed his excitement to take on the role permanently ahead of a promising period at Linton Street.

โ€œThis year has been extremely valuable for me both professionally and personally,โ€ Misson said.

โ€œI've loved experiencing the nuances of this role and have enjoyed getting to know and learning from the very talented people I am lucky enough to work with at the Saints.

"Across the board we're committed to making steady steps towards something special, and I look forward to being part of that."

St Kilda finished this season in eight after making a return to finals following a 13-win home and away campaign.