List of WAFL grounds

Last updated

The West Australian Football League (WAFL) has utilised a number of different grounds since its formation in 1885. This list comprises grounds currently in use (that is, used in the 2011 season, grounds formerly in use and defunct grounds. Under the laws of Australian football, a ground must be grassed, have a minimum length of 135 metres (443 ft) and a minimum width of 110 metres (360 ft). [1]

Contents

Most current WAFL grounds were originally constructed for the sole purpose of serving as a home ground for Australian rules football clubs, either by the clubs or local government authorities. Some grounds have also hosted other sports, including rugby league, rugby union, soccer and cricket. Two WAFL venues, the WACA Ground and Subiaco Oval, have also hosted matches in the Australian Football League (AFL).

The competition's grand final was previously held every year at Subiaco Oval (Domain Stadium), but is now played at the newly constructed Perth Stadium (Optus Stadium) in Burswood, it is the largest stadium in Western Australia, with a maximum capacity of 60,000 people. The WAFL's attendance record was set at Subiaco Oval, with 52,781 people attending the 1979 Grand Final.

Grounds

Major grounds

Ground name
(sponsored name)
LocationCapacityRecord capacity
(year)
MatchesTenant(s)
former tenants
First usedNotes
Anniversary Park Rockingham 25002241
(2009)
5 Peel Thunder  ?Hosted five matches between Peel and South Fremantle.
Arena Joondalup
(Pentanet Stadium)
Joondalup 16 00015 082
(1994)
336 West Perth 1994The complex around it is still sponsored by HBF.
Bassendean Oval
(Steel Blue Oval)
Bassendean 22 00022 350
(1980)
757 Swan Districts 1934
Claremont Oval
(Revo Fitness Stadium) [2]
Claremont 10 00018 268
(1983)
796 Claremont 1927
Claremont Showground [3] Claremont 10 000 ?30 Claremont 1907Neutral venue 1907–08, 1922.
Claremont home ground 1926–27; 2014–2015.
East Fremantle Oval
(New Choice Homes Park)
East Fremantle 20 00021 317
(1979)
602 East Fremantle 1953
Fremantle Oval
(Fremantle Community Bank Oval) [4]
Fremantle 17 50023 109
(1979)
1464 South Fremantle
East Fremantle (1898–1952)
North Fremantle (1912–15)
1898
Fremantle Park Fremantle  ? ? ?Fremantle/Unions1890
Geraldton Recreation Ground Beachlands 50007970
(1985)
7 East Fremantle 1985
Gosnells Recreation Ground Gosnells 20001597
(1996)
1 Perth 1996
Lathlain Park
(Mineral Resources Park) [5]
Lathlain 20 00019 541
(1967)
505 Perth 1928
Leederville Oval Leederville 18 00024 567
(1978)
916 East Perth
Subiaco
West Perth (1915–93)
1915Shared between East Perth and Subiaco since 1999.
North Fremantle Oval
currently known as Gilbert Fraser Reserve
North Fremantle 050004000131 North Fremantle
East Fremantle (1901–12)
South Fremantle (1901–12)

1901
Perth Stadium
(Optus Stadium)
Burswood 60 00025 064
(2018)
2neutral2018Hosted the WAFL Grand Final in 2018 and 2019.
Perth Oval
(HBF Park) [6]
Perth 20 50026 760
(1969)
834 East Perth 1997Hosted six WAFL Grand Finals between 1912 and 1935.
Sir Richard Moore Oval Kalgoorlie 60007139
(1986)
5 Subiaco 1986
Rushton Park (Kelmscott) Kelmscott 20003601
(1989)
3 Perth 1989
Rushton Park (Mandurah)
(lane Group Stadium)
Mandurah 10 0007147
(1986)
132 Peel Thunder 1986
Shenton Park Shenton Park  ? ?8 Subiaco 1900
Subiaco Oval Subiaco 43 50052 781
(1979)
1411neutral
Subiaco (1908-2004)
Claremont (1945–46)
1908Used for the WAFL Grand Final until 2018.
Hosted occasional Subiaco home games, the last of which was in 2016. [7]
Wanneroo Showgrounds Wanneroo 60005007
(1989)
3 East Perth
West Perth
1989
WACA Ground East Perth 24 50011 835
(1994)
681 Perth
West Perth
1898Hosted eight WAFL Grand Finals between 1906 and 1926.

Non-metropolitan grounds

Ground name
(sponsored name)
LocationCapacityRecord capacity
(year)
MatchesFirst usedNotes
Bruce Rock Sporting Complex Bruce Rock 20001900
(2001)
12001
Capricorn Oval Newman 20003000
(2008)
22002
Collie Recreation Ground Collie 20001800
(2001)
12001
Collingwood Park Albany 50004638
1989
51989
Corrigin Oval Corrigin 20001900
(2009)
12009
Cunderdin Oval Cunderdin 20001678
(2004)
12004
Dampier Sports Club Dampier 60006040
(1985)
11985
Esperance Oval Esperance 25002394
(2005)
32000
Frost Park Mount Barker 25002556
(1987)
11987
Greater Sports Ground Katanning 20001872
(2004)
12004
Hands Oval Bunbury 50006573
(1984)
51984
Jubilee Park Northam 25002500
(1998)
11998
Jurien Oval Jurien Bay 15001250
(2002)
12002
Kambalda Oval Kambalda West 20001514
(2006)
12006
Manjimup Recreation Ground Manjimup 20001965
(2006)
12006
McLean Oval Denmark 25002500
(2004)
12004
Millars Well Oval
currently known as Kevin Richards Memorial Oval
Karratha 50005000
(2000)
12000
Moora Reserve Moora ??11999
Newdegate Showgrounds Newdegate 15001500(2002)12002
Northampton Community Oval Northampton 50003000
(2022)
12022
Ord River Sports Club Kununurra 40003000(2000)12000
Peter Haynes Oval Broome 50003950
(2006)
12006
Pingelly Oval Pingelly  ?1842
(2021)
12021
Sir Stewart Bovell Park Busselton 2000)1473
(2003)
12003
Talanjee Oval Exmouth  ? ?11999
Toodyay Showgrounds Toodyay 20001200
(2000)
12000
Town Oval Carnarvon 30002650
(2007)
12007
VC Mitchell Park Donnybrook 20001648
(2005)
12005
Waldeck Street Oval Dongara 15001850
(2007)
12007
Wickepin Oval Wickepin 15001300
(2002)
12002

Country venues

Various country towns in Western Australia have hosted WAFL games as a part of the competition's "Country Week", or for similar promotions. Towns which have at least one regular season WAFL game are listed below. The exact name of the ground can often not be determined, but is listed where possible.

LocationGround nameMatchesHome team(s)Notes
Albany Collingwood Park
other venues unknown
4 Claremont Claremont has hosted four games in Albany, most recent in 2009 at Collingwood Park. [8]
Broome N/A1 Swan Districts Hosted one match between Claremont and Swan Districts.
Bruce Rock N/A1N/AHosted one match between Perth and West Perth in 2001. [9]
Bunbury Hands Oval
other venues unknown
5 East Perth (2)
Swan Districts (3)
Busselton N/A1N/AHosted one match between East Perth and Swan Districts.
Carnarvon N/A1N/AHosted one match between South Fremantle and West Perth.
Collie N/A1N/AHosted one match between Claremont and Swan Districts.
Corrigin N/A1N/AHosted one match between Peel and West Perth.
Cunderdin N/A1N/AHosted one match between Perth and Subiaco.
Dampier N/A3 East Perth
Denmark N/A1N/AHosted one match between Claremont and South Fremantle.
Dongara N/A1N/AHosted one match between East Fremantle and Perth.
Donnybrook N/A1N/AHosted one match between East Perth and Peel.
Esperance N/A2 Peel Thunder
Exmouth N/A1N/AHosted one match between East Perth and Subiaco.
Geraldton N/A
possibly at Geraldton Recreation Ground
6 East Fremantle
Jurien Bay N/A1N/AHosted one match between Perth and Subiaco.
Kalgoorlie At least 1 at Sir Richard Moore Oval 6 Subiaco Most Recently hosted a game in 2022
Kambalda N/A1 Subiaco Hosted one match between Perth and Subiaco in 2006.
Katanning N/A1N/AHosted one match between Claremont and East Perth in 2000.
Mukinbudin Mukinbudin Football Oval1N/AHosted one match between West Perth and Perth in 2006.
Northampton Northampton Community Oval1 East Fremantle Hosted the Seroja Cup between East Fremantle and East Perth, Round 3, 2022.
Pingelly Pingelly Oval1 South Fremantle Hosted one match between South Fremantle and Peel in 2021. [10]

See also

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The 1937 WANFL season was the 53rd season of the Western Australian National Football League. The season saw numerous notable highlights, including:

  1. Five players[a] kicked 100 goals, a number equalled in the major leagues of VFL/AFL, VFA/VFL, or SANFL, only in the 1939 VFA season.[b]
  2. Frank "Scranno" Jenkins won the Sandover Medal in his debut season of senior football with a record high under the 3-2-1 voting system of 34 votes.
  3. In the second round, East Fremantle broke their own 21-year-old record for the highest score in league history.
  4. East Perth drew three games in one season, a feat equalled in major Australian Rules Leagues only by VFA club Moorabbin in 1958 and West Perth in 1960. The Royals could easily have drawn a fourth game but for crowd acclamation preventing umpires from hearing the bell against Subiaco on Foundation Day. No senior Australian Rules team at any level is known to have tied four matches in a season, but Geelong’s Under-19s did so in 1971.
  5. Swan Districts, with Ted Holdsworth kicking at least six goals in each of the first ten games, reached their first finals series in only their fourth WANFL season. Holdsworth was to reach his 100 goals in two fewer games than George Doig took in his 152-goal 1934 season, but concussion and a broken hand eliminated the prospect of a new record.

The 1927 WAFL season was the 43rd season of the West Australian Football League. It saw the last premiership of the East Perth dynasty dating back to the end of World War I, as mastermind coach Phil Matson was to be killed in a truck crash the following year and the Royals were to fall to a clear last in 1929 as most of their champions retired. Despite opening their permanent home ground at Claremont Oval, newcomers Claremont-Cottesloe showed little improvement on their debut season and again won only a single game. The most notable change in fortunes was from South Fremantle, who had their first season with more wins than losses since their last premiership in 1917, and extended Matson's Royals in the grand final.

The 2007 WAFL season was the 123rd season of the various incarnations of the West Australian Football League. The season saw Subiaco, confounding the critics who expected them to slip after winning their second premiership in three years, win their second consecutive premiership for the first time in ninety-four seasons, with injury-plagued forward Brad Smith overcoming two reconstructions that wiped out 2005 and 2006 to kick 126 goals for the season, the most in the WAFL since Warren Ralph kicked 128 for Claremont in 1983. Smith also achieved the unique feat for a full-forward of winning the Simpson Medal in the Grand Final.

The 1926 WAFL season was the 42nd season of senior football in Perth, Western Australia.

The 1939 WANFL season was the 55th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. It is best known for West Perth's record losing streak of twenty-seven matches up to the fifteenth round, an ignominy equalled by Peel Thunder in their formative years but never actually beaten. The Cardinals finished with the worst record since Midland Junction lost all twelve games in 1917, and were the first WANFL team with only one victory for twelve seasons. In their only win, champion forward Ted Tyson became the first West Australian to kick over one thousand goals and he just failed to replicate his 1938 feat of leading the goalkicking for a bottom club. Subiaco, despite a second Sandover win from Haydn Bunton won only three matches, and Swan Districts, affected by the loss of star goalkicker Ted Holdsworth to Kalgoorlie, began a long period as a cellar-dweller with a fall to sixth.

The 1940 WANFL season was the 56th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. It saw Claremont win its third consecutive premiership, but its last before returning to the status of cellar-dweller it occupied during its first decade in the WA(N)FL – between 1943 and 1978 Claremont played finals only five times for one premiership. South Fremantle, after a lean period in the middle 1930s, displaced perennial power clubs East Fremantle and East Perth as the Tigers’ Grand Final opponent, and established some of the basis, in spite of three disastrous wartime under-age seasons, for the club's fabled dynasty after the war.

The 1941 WANFL season was the 57th season of the various incarnations of the Western Australian National Football League. Owing to the drain of players to military service in World War II, the league was forced to suspend the reserves competition until 1946, and ultimately this was to be the last season of senior football in Perth until 1945 as the supply of available players became smaller and smaller and the Japanese military threatened northern Western Australia.

The 1922 WAFL season was the 38th season of the West Australian Football League. It saw East Perth equal East Fremantle's feat of winning four consecutive premierships, this time against a rejuvenated West Perth team which had a lean period since 1912. Their most notable feat during the season was a record comeback against South Fremantle, but on an August tour of the Eastern States the Royals also defeated SANFL premiers Norwood by the score of 8.20 (68) to 7.10 (52) and runners-up West Adelaide by 11.12 (78) to 7.12 (54), after having lost by a point to St. Kilda two weeks beforehand. A consequence of their trip – hastily planned when Subiaco's tour there was cancelled during July – was that their last round match with wooden-spooner Perth was never played – a cancellation to be repeated the following season.

The 2022 WAFL season is the 138th season of the various incarnations of the West Australian Football League (WAFL).The season commenced on the 15th of April, and concluded with the Grand Final on the 1st of October, with West Perth defeating Claremont at Leederville Oval by 12 points. Fixtures were released in stages, to allow for COVID flexibility. The first stage saw the first nine rounds of the season be released, rounds 10-14 were released before the start of Round 7, and the final rounds (14-20) were released on July 8, before the start of Round 12. All the teams from the previous season have been retained, as there was speculation if the West Coast Eagles reserves would return.

References

  1. "Laws of Australian Football" Archived 1 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Historic Claremont Oval secures naming rights partner". West Australian Football Commission. 23 August 2019.
  3. Officially the Bruce Campbell Arena
  4. "SFFC announce Major Partnership with Fremantle Community Bank". South Fremantle Football Club. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  5. "Mineral Resources Secure Naming Rights to Lathlain Park". 1 March 2019.
  6. "nib Stadium soon to be HBF Park". 24 January 2019.
  7. Pike, Chris (4 June 2016). "Subiaco versus Peel Thunder WAFL postponed due to re-laid turf in the centre square of Medibank Stadium being deemed unsafe". PerthNow.
  8. WAFL Country Sport Enrichment Game - Claremont vs South Fremantle in Albany - Saturday 18 April - Claremont Football Club. Published 21 April 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  9. BigFooty WAFL Forum
  10. "2021 FIXTURE RELEASED". South Fremantle Football Club. 29 January 2021.