The Fremantle Football Club are proud to unveil the stunning design for their 2023 AFLW Indigenous jumper, which will be worn for the Indigenous round games against Geelong and St Kilda.

The Club will compete as Walyalup for the first time in the AFLW while wearing the jumper in round seven, as it did earlier in the year during the AFL’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round games.

The jumper tells the story of the Club being born from Walyalup, the area now known as Fremantle, highlighting these through the colours of the South Fremantle and East Fremantle Football Clubs.

The Peter Farmer Designs Team worked closely with board member Colleen Hayward and her nephew Jason Barrow on the design, with the final design developed and produced by Kayley Emery and Peter Farmer Jnr.

South Fremantle and East Fremantle’s colours are both represented at the base of the guernsey, encircling the wearer and representing the foundation of the Fremantle Football Club.

The connection between Indigenous footballers and South Fremantle are particularly strong.

Fremantle’s Next Generation Academy Coach Roger Hayden was named in the Bulldogs’ Indigenous team of the century, as was Bill Hayward and former Freo Docker Clem Michael.

The Hayward family have been credited by South Fremantle as the first to make an impact at the Club through Bill, Eric and Maley – the grandfather of Colleen and great grandfather of Jason - in the 1936-37 seasons.

Maley’s son Len – the father of Colleen and grandfather of Jason - went on to become the first Aboriginal player to play in a winning South Fremantle premiership side in 1950.

Underpinning the South and East Fremantle bands are the seven hills that historically stood as beacons from which the Walyalup area was guarded and kept safe – the seven hills are also representative of female unity.

The pattern that illustrates the chevrons represent the bonds created from women meeting, working and celebrating together – forming a pattern similar to thick anchor ropes.

Below the chevrons are seven meeting places that represent the many communities that make up the Fremantle Dockers.

Above the chevrons is another symbol featuring 21 figures, illustrating the 21 players who will run out and wear the jumper on game day against Geelong and St Kilda.

At the top of the jumper is a hibiscus flower, which is known as the National Sorry Day Flower.

The Kimberley Stolen Generation Aboriginal Corporation have given Fremantle permission to use the flower in the Indigenous jumpers across Freo’s men’s and women’s teams since 2014.