List of WAFL grounds
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]
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) | Location | Capacity | Record capacity (year) | Matches | Tenant(s) former tenants | First used | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anniversary Park | Rockingham | 2500 | 2241 (2009) | 5 | Peel Thunder | ? | Hosted five matches between Peel and South Fremantle. |
Arena Joondalup (HBF Arena) | Joondalup | 16 000 | 15 082 (1994) | 336 | West Perth | 1994 | Known as Joondalup Arena for West Perth matches.[2] |
Bassendean Oval (Steel Blue Oval) | Bassendean | 22 000 | 22 350 (1980) | 757 | Swan Districts | 1934 | |
Claremont Oval (Revo Fitness Stadium)[3] | Claremont | 10 000 | 18 268 (1983) | 796 | Claremont | 1927 | |
Claremont Showground[4] | Claremont | 10 000 | ? | 30 | Claremont | 1907 | Neutral venue 1907–08, 1922. Claremont home ground 1926–27; 2014–2015. |
East Fremantle Oval (New Choice Homes Park) | East Fremantle | 20 000 | 21 317 (1979) | 602 | East Fremantle | 1953 | |
Fremantle Oval (Fremantle Community Bank Oval)[5] | Fremantle | 17 500 | 23 109 (1979) | 1464 | South Fremantle East Fremantle (1898–1952) North Fremantle (1912–15) | 1898 | |
Fremantle Park | Fremantle | ? | ? | ? | Fremantle/Unions | 1890 | |
Geraldton Recreation Ground | Beachlands | 5000 | 7970 (1985) | 7 | East Fremantle | 1985 | |
Gosnells Recreation Ground | Gosnells | 2000 | 1597 (1996) | 1 | Perth | 1996 | |
Lathlain Park (Mineral Resources Park)[6] | Lathlain | 20 000 | 19 541 (1967) | 505 | Perth | 1928 | |
Leederville Oval | Leederville | 18 000 | 24 567 (1978) | 916 | East Perth Subiaco West Perth (1915–93) | 1915 | Shared between East Perth and Subiaco since 1999. |
North Fremantle Oval currently known as Gilbert Fraser Reserve | North Fremantle | 05000 | 4000 | 131 | North Fremantle East Fremantle (1901–12) South Fremantle (1901–12) | 1901 | |
Perth Stadium
(Optus Stadium) |
Burswood | 60 000 | 25 064 | 2 | neutral | 2018 | Hosted the WAFL Grand Final in 2018. |
Perth Oval (HBF Park)[7] | Perth | 20 500 | 26 760 (1969) | 834 | East Perth | 1997 | Hosted six WAFL Grand Finals between 1912 and 1935. |
Sir Richard Moore Oval | Kalgoorlie | 6000 | 7139 (1986) | 5 | Subiaco | 1986 | |
Rushton Park (Kelmscott) | Kelmscott | 2000 | 3601 (1989) | 3 | Perth | 1989 | |
Rushton Park (Mandurah) (David Grays Arena)[8] | Mandurah | 10 000 | 7147 (1986) | 132 | Peel Thunder | 1986 | |
Shenton Park | Shenton Park | ? | ? | 8 | Subiaco | 1900 | |
Subiaco Oval (Domain Stadium) | Subiaco | 43 500 | 52 781 (1979) | 1411 | neutral Subiaco Claremont (1945–46) | 1908 | Used for the WAFL Grand Final until 2018. Hosted occasional Subiaco home games, the last of which was in 2016.[9] |
Wanneroo Showgrounds | Wanneroo | 6000 | 5007 (1989) | 3 | East Perth West Perth | 1989 | |
WACA Ground | East Perth | 24 500 | 11 835 (1994) | 681 | Perth West Perth | 1898 | Hosted eight WAFL Grand Finals between 1906 and 1926. |
Non-metropolitan grounds
Ground name (sponsored name) | Location | Capacity | Record capacity (year) | Matches | First used | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bruce Rock Sporting Complex | Bruce Rock | 2000 | 1900 (2001) | 1 | 2001 | |
Capricorn Oval | Newman | 2000 | 3000 (2008) | 2 | 2002 | |
Collie Recreation Ground | Collie | 2000 | 1800 (2001) | 1 | 2001 | |
Collingwood Park | Albany | 5000 | 4638 1989 | 5 | 1989 | |
Corrigin Oval | Corrigin | 2000 | 1900 (2009) | 1 | 2009 | |
Cunderdin Oval | Cunderdin | 2000 | 1678 (2004) | 1 | 2004 | |
Dampier Sports Club | Dampier | 6000 | 6040 (1985) | 1 | 1985 | |
Esperance Oval | Esperance | 2500 | 2394 (2005) | 3 | 2000 | |
Frost Park | Mount Barker | 2500 | 2556 (1987) | 1 | 1987 | |
Greater Sports Ground | Katanning | 2000 | 1872 (2004) | 1 | 2004 | |
Hands Oval | Bunbury | 5000 | 6573 (1984) | 5 | 1984 | |
Jubilee Park | Northam | 2500 | 2500 (1998) | 1 | 1998 | |
Jurien Oval | Jurien Bay | 1500 | 1250 (2002) | 1 | 2002 | |
Kambalda Oval | Kambalda West | 2000 | 1514 (2006) | 1 | 2006 | |
Manjimup Recreation Gronud | Manjimup | 2000 | 1965 (2006) | 1 | 2006 | |
McLean Oval | Denmark | 2500 | 2500 (2004) | 1 | 2004 | |
Millars Well Oval currently known as Kevin Richards Memorial Oval | Karratha | 5000 | 5000 (2000) | 1 | 2000 | |
Moora Reserve | Moora | ? | ? | 1 | 1999 | |
Newdegate Showgrounds | Newdegate | 1500 | 1500(2002) | 1 | 2002 | |
Ord River Sports Club | Kununurra | 4000 | 3000(2000) | 1 | 2000 | |
Peter Haynes Oval | Broome | 5000 | 3950 (2006) | 1 | 2006 | |
Sir Stewart Bovell Park | Busselton | 2000) | 1473 (2003) | 1 | 2003 | |
Talanjee Oval | Exmouth | ? | ? | 1 | 1999 | |
Toodyay Showgrounds | Toodyay | 2000 | 1200 (2000) | 1 | 2000 | |
Town Oval | Carnarvon | 3000 | 2650 (2007) | 1 | 2007 | |
VC Mitchell Park | Donnybrook | 2000 | 1648 (2005) | 1 | 2005 | |
Waldeck Street Oval | Dongara | 1500 | 1850 (2007) | 1 | 2007 | |
Wickepin Oval | Wickepin | 1500 | 1300 (2002) | 1 | 2002 |
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.
Location | Ground name | Matches | Home 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.[10] |
Broome | N/A | 1 | Swan Districts | Hosted one match between Claremont and Swan Districts. |
Bruce Rock | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between Perth and West Perth in 2001.[11] |
Bunbury | Hands Oval other venues unknown | 5 | East Perth (2) Swan Districts (3) | |
Busselton | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between East Perth and Swan Districts. |
Carnarvon | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between South Fremantle and West Perth. |
Collie | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between Claremont and Swan Districts. |
Corrigin | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between Peel and West Perth. |
Cunderdin | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between Perth and Subiaco. |
Dampier | N/A | 3 | East Perth | |
Denmark | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between Claremont and South Fremantle. |
Dongara | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between East Fremantle and Perth. |
Donnybrook | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between East Perth and Peel. |
Esperance | N/A | 2 | Peel Thunder | |
Exmouth | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between East Perth and Subiaco. |
Geraldton | N/A possibly at Geraldton Recreation Ground | 6 | East Fremantle | |
Jurien Bay | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between Perth and Subiaco. |
Kalgoorlie | N/A | 5 | Subiaco | |
Kambalda | N/A | 1 | Subiaco | Hosted one match between Perth and Subiaco in 2006. |
Katanning | N/A | 1 | N/A | Hosted one match between Claremont and East Perth in 2000. |
References
- "Laws of Australian Football" Archived 1 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- Donaldson, Mark (2 May 2018). "WAFL: West Perth on the hunt for naming rights sponsor for Joondalup Arena". Joondalup Times. Community News Group. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- "Historic Claremont Oval secures naming rights partner". West Australian Football Commission. 23 August 2019.
- Officially the Bruce Campbell Arena
- "SFFC announce Major Partnership with Fremantle Community Bank". South Fremantle Football Club. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
- "Mineral Resources Secure Naming Rights to Lathlain Park". 1 March 2019.
- "nib Stadium soon to be HBF Park". 24 January 2019.
- "Welcome to David Grays Arena - new naming rights partner to stadium". 15 November 2018.
- 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.
- 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.
- BigFooty WAFL Forum