The West Australian Football Commission is delighted by Wednesday’s announcement that Fremantle Football Club has received a licence to field a team in the 2017 AFL National Women’s League.
WAFC Chief Executive Gavin Taylor said this was highly deserved recognition for the club’s commitment to female football in Western Australia and the quality of their submission to the AFL.
“Our State has a proud history of female football, starting with the earliest known competitive women’s game in Australia being played in Perth in 1915,” he said.
“One hundred years later, WA has almost 50,000 Female Participants (21.8 per cent of WA participation) and there is now a complete pathway for female footballers from all-girls Auskick centres right through to the elite National Women’s League.
“This growth and development has been strongly supported by both of our AFL Clubs and for the Fremantle Football Club to receive a licence for the 2017 competition is terrific recognition of this.
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“The WA Women’s Football League has also provided a great competition for female football development and the WAFC has invested in opportunities for elite players to participate in Talent Academies, which has all resulted in a very strong talent pool in our State.
“We will now work closely with the Fremantle Football Club, the AFL and WAWFL to ensure we can continue to grow and develop female football through an integrated pathway.
“We will also be working with our community clubs to ensure that we are well prepared to embrace the expected new growth in female participation once the League is launched next year.
“Football is entering into an exciting new era with female football and we look forward to working with the Fremantle Football Club to ensure we can continue to develop and showcase some of the best talent in Western Australia.
“I’m sure that many WA players will be representing not only Fremantle Football Club next year but several of the other AFL Women’s teams that have been announced to play in the national competition.
“I wish all of them the best of luck and am looking forward to Round 1 of the competition getting underway already.”
