The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent the port city of Fremantle, a stronghold of Australian rules football in Western Australia. The Dockers were the second team from the state to be admitted to the competition, following the West Coast Eagles in 1987. Both Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles are owned by the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC), with a board of directors operating Fremantle on the commission's behalf.
The Western Derby is the name given to the Australian rules football match between the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, who both participate in the Australian Football League (AFL). As both teams are based in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, the term "derby" is used to describe the match. It has become the most important match for football in Western Australia, with former West Coast player and coach John Worsfold claiming that in the week before a derby that it is the main topic in Perth.
It's obviously different to the build-up of any normal game... We don't care what else is happening in the country, which is great."
Fremantle Football Club's drafting and trading history is often cited as a reason for their poor on-field record; the club took eight years to reach a final, and won their first final in 2006. In recent years, however, they have been successful in finding good players with late round and rookie list selections.
Kellie-Maree Gibson is an Australian rules footballer playing for West Coast in the AFL Women's competition. She was one of Adelaide's two marquee players in the inaugural AFL Women's season and has also played for Fremantle. A multi-sport athlete, Gibson began her athletic career as a sprinter, and won a gold medal in rugby sevens at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics.
Dana Hooker is an Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Eagles in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Fremantle Football Club from 2017 to 2019. Hooker is a dual AFL Women's All-Australian, and was the inaugural Fremantle fairest and best winner in 2017 and inaugural West Coast Club Champion in 2020.
Ebony Antonio is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Fremantle Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Antonio represented The Allies in the inaugural AFL Women's State of Origin match in 2017, and won AFL Women's All-Australian selection and the Fremantle fairest and best award in 2018. She also won the Goal of the Year and shared the Western Derby Medal with Kiara Bowers in 2022 season 6.
Hayley Miller is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Fremantle Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. Miller won the Fremantle fairest and best and leading goalkicker awards in season 6 and was named in the 2022 AFL Women's season 6 All-Australian team. She served as Fremantle captain from season 6 to 2023, and is Fremantle's games record holder with 77 games.
Tiah Toth is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the AFL Women's competition.
Cassie Davidson is an Australian rules footballer playing for West Coast in the AFL Women's competition. Davidson was drafted by Fremantle with their eleventh selection and eighty-fourth overall in the 2016 AFL Women's draft. She made her debut in the thirty-two point loss to the Western Bulldogs at VU Whitten Oval in the opening round of the 2017 season. She played every match in her debut season to finish with seven matches.
Beatrice Devlyn is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. Devlyn was recruited by Fremantle as an injury replacement player in January 2017. She made her debut in the twenty-three point loss to Adelaide at Fremantle Oval in round four of the 2017 season. She played the next week before she was omitted for the round six match against Carlton to finish with two matches for the season. She was delisted at the end of the 2017 season. She was subsequently re-drafted as a rookie by Fremantle with pick No. 16 in the 2017 rookie draft.
Michelle Cowan is an Australian rules football coach who was the inaugural head coach of the Fremantle Football Club in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW).
Evangeline Gooch is an Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Gooch was drafted by Fremantle with their second selection and tenth overall in the 2017 AFL Women's draft. She made her debut in the twenty-six point loss to the Western Bulldogs at VU Whitten Oval in the opening round of the 2018 season.
Emily McGuire is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). McGuire was drafted by Fremantle with their fifth selection and thirty-third overall in the 2017 AFL Women's draft. She made her debut in the five-point win against Melbourne at Fremantle Oval in round three of the 2018 season. McGuire received a nomination for the 2018 AFL Women's Rising Star award after kicking two goals in the match. She was delisted by Fremantle at the end of the 2018 season. In August 2020, McGuire was delisted by West Coast.
Courtney Guard is a retired Australian rules footballer who played for Fremantle and West Coast in the AFL Women's (AFLW).
Aisling Louise McCarthy is an Irish Australian rules footballer playing for Fremantle in the AFL Women's (AFLW), having previously played for the Western Bulldogs and the West Coast Eagles. She became an Australian citizen in July 2022.
Ashton Hill is a retired Australian rules footballer who played for West Coast in the AFL Women's (AFLW). A defender, she had previously played in the West Australian Women's Football League (WAWFL) before signing with West Coast for their first season in the AFLW. She played in the club's inaugural team.
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. The 2021 AFL Women's season was their second season in that competition, their first season with Daniel Pratt as coach, and their second season with Emma Swanson as captain. They won two out of the nine games they played, their only wins being by one point against Gold Coast and 39 points against Geelong. They finished 12th out of 14 on the ladder, missing out on qualifying for finals.
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. 2022 AFL Women's season 6, which started in January 2021, is their third season in the competition. At the end of the 2021 season, West Coast delisted 10 players, gained a player via trade, a player via restricted free agency and five players at the 2021 AFL Women's draft. 2021 coach Daniel Pratt was replaced with Michael Prior, after Pratt resigned from the role.
Amy Franklin is an Australian rules footballer playing for West Coast in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She has previously played for Fremantle.
Jye Amiss is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
