Fremantle Football Club facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fremantle Football Club
Names
Full name	Fremantle Football Club Limited
Nickname(s)	Dockers, Freo Indigenous rounds: Walyalup
2024 season
After finals	AFL: — AFLW: —
Home-and-away season	AFL: 10th AFLW: 5th
Leading goalkicker	AFL: Josh Treacy (45 Goals) AFLW:
Best and fairest	AFL: Caleb Serong AFLW:
Club details
Founded	21 July 1994; 30 years ago (1994-07-21)
Colours	AFL:      Purple      white AFLW:      Purple      white      Crimson
Competition	AFL: Men AFLW: Women
Chairman	Chris Sutherland
Coach	AFL: Justin Longmuir AFLW: Lisa Webb
Captain(s)	AFL: Alex Pearce AFLW: Ange Stannett
Premierships	0
Ground(s)	AFL: Perth Stadium 2018-present (capacity: 61,266)
	AFLW: Fremantle Oval 2017–present (capacity: 10,000)
Former ground(s)	WACA Ground (1995–2000) Subiaco Oval (1995–2017)
Training ground(s)	Cockburn ARC (2017–present) Fremantle Oval (1995–2017)
Uniforms
Home Away Clash
Current season

The Fremantle Football Club, often called the Dockers or Freo, is a professional Australian rules football team. They play in the Australian Football League (AFL), which is the top competition for the sport. The club started in 1994 and represents the port city of Fremantle, Western Australia.

Fremantle was the second team from Western Australia to join the AFL. The first was the West Coast Eagles in 1987. Both teams are owned by the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC).

Even though Fremantle has played in and won several finals matches, they are one of only three active AFL clubs that haven't won a premiership. However, they did win a minor premiership (meaning they finished first at the end of the regular season) in 2015. They also reached the Grand Final in 2013, but lost to Hawthorn.

Famous players who have played for Fremantle include All-Australian Matthew Pavlich, Hall of Fame member Peter Bell, and Brownlow Medal winner Nat Fyfe. Fyfe used to be the team's captain.

The club's training and office facilities are at Cockburn ARC in Cockburn Central. Their home ground is the huge Perth Stadium in Burswood, which can hold over 60,000 fans.

Fremantle also has a women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW) league. They joined when the league started in 2017. Their best season was in 2020, when they were undefeated. Sadly, the season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so no premiership was awarded.

Football in Fremantle's History

The city of Fremantle, Western Australia, has a long and interesting history with Australian rules football. The first organised game in the state was played there in 1881. Early Fremantle teams, like the East Fremantle Football Club and South Fremantle Football Club, were very strong. They won many championships in the early years of the West Australian Football League (WAFL).

Since 1897, Fremantle Oval has been the main place for football games in the city. Before Perth Stadium opened in 2018, the record for the most people at a football game in Western Australia was 52,781. This was for the 1979 WANFL Grand Final between East Fremantle and South Fremantle.

Many great footballers played for clubs based in Fremantle. Some of these champions are in the Australian Football Hall of Fame. They include Steve Marsh, Jack Sheedy, John Todd, George Doig, William Truscott, and Bernie Naylor.

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  A marking contest from a Fremantle Derby game around 1910.

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  A view of Fremantle Oval and nearby buildings, around 1910.

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  East Fremantle legend George Doig. The Dockers' best and fairest award, the Doig Medal, is named after him.

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  South Fremantle legend Bernie Naylor.

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  A statue showing John Gerovich taking a famous mark over Ray French.

Club History

Starting Years (1993–2006)

Chart showing Fremantle's yearly ladder positions in the AFL.

Even though Fremantle had a long football history, the first AFL team from Western Australia, the West Coast Eagles, started in 1987. After that, people wanted a second team. On December 14, 1993, the AFL announced a new team would join in 1995. This team would be based in Fremantle.

On July 21, 1994, the team was officially named the "Fremantle Football Club." Their nickname, the "Fremantle Dockers," and their colours (purple, red, green, and white) were also announced. The first training session for the new team was held on October 31, 1994.

The team had some tough years at the start. They often finished near the bottom of the ladder. In 2003, they made the finals for the first time, finishing fifth. They played against Essendon but lost. Essendon's experience was too much for the young Fremantle team.

In 2006, Fremantle had a great second half of the season. They won nine games in a row and finished third. This was their best finish ever. They won their first ever finals game against Melbourne. They then played in their first preliminary final but lost to the Sydney Swans.

Recent History (2007–Present)

Fremantle players warming up before a game in their original uniform, 2009.

In 2007, Mark Harvey became the coach. The team finished 11th that year. In 2009, Fremantle had their lowest score ever, scoring only 1.7 (13) against the Adelaide Crows.

In 2010, the club made the finals again. They beat Hawthorn in a surprising win. This was their second finals win ever. However, they lost badly to the Geelong Cats the next week.

The 2011 season started well, but Fremantle lost their last seven games. This meant they missed the finals. In September 2011, Mark Harvey was replaced by Ross Lyon as coach.

Fremantle made the finals in 2012. They won their first ever away finals game against Geelong at the MCG. Matthew Pavlich kicked six goals in that game.

The 2013 season was a big one for Fremantle. They finished third and won their first two finals games. This meant they reached their first ever AFL Grand Final. They played against Hawthorn but lost by 15 points.

A wide view of the 2013 AFL Grand Final, which was Fremantle's first and only Grand Final appearance.

In 2014, Fremantle made the finals again, finishing fourth. But they were knocked out after losing to Sydney and Port Adelaide. Nat Fyfe won the Leigh Matthews Trophy as the league's most valuable player.

The 2015 season was historic. Fremantle finished first at the end of the regular season, winning their first minor premiership. However, they lost to Hawthorn in the preliminary final. That year, Nat Fyfe became the club's first Brownlow Medal winner.

In 2016, Matthew Pavlich played his last season. Fremantle had a tough year, losing their first 10 games. They finished 16th. Ross Lyon was replaced by Justin Longmuir as coach in 2019.

Longmuir's first season in 2020 was shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fremantle finished 12th. The 2022 AFL season was a great year for the Dockers. They made the finals for the first time since 2015, finishing fifth. They won an exciting elimination final against the Western Bulldogs. They then lost to Collingwood in a semi-final at the MCG in front of over 90,000 fans.

In 2023, Fremantle finished 14th. In 2024, they started well but faced injuries to key players. They finished 10th, just missing out on the finals.

Team Performance

Fremantle has had some struggles since they started. As of July 2024, their overall win percentage is 45.52%. This ranks them 16th out of all 21 teams that have played in the VFL/AFL league. Because of this, they haven't won a premiership yet. This has led fans to jokingly call them "Flagmantle," hoping for a future championship.

The club's best years were between 2013 and 2015. During this time, they finished in the top four three times in a row. They also made their only Grand Final appearance in 2013 and won their only minor premiership in 2015.

Fremantle played its first ever drawn match in 2013 against the Sydney Swans. In 2006, they had a controversial game against St Kilda. The game was first called a draw, but the AFL later changed the result. Fremantle was declared the winner by one point because of a problem with the siren. This was the first time a game result had been changed since 1900.

Year-by-Year Results

AFL Home and Away Finishing Positions (1995–Present)

Club Identity

Team Nickname

Fremantle Football Club logo (1999–2010)

The club is called the "Dockers" because Fremantle is a port city. "Dockers" refers to people who work at the docks. When the club started in 1994, a clothing brand called Dockers challenged the club's use of the name. So, the club stopped officially using "Dockers" for a while.

However, everyone still called them the "Dockers" or "Freo." The name was even in their team song! In 2010, the club made a new agreement. This allowed them to officially use the "Dockers" nickname everywhere, including on their clothes and other items. This change happened along with new club logos and uniforms.

Team Uniform (Guernsey)

Fremantle's uniform with the chevron arrow design, adopted in 2011.

Before 2011, Fremantle's uniforms (called guernseys) always featured an anchor symbol. The home uniform was purple with a white anchor. This anchor separated red and green panels, which are traditional colours for ships. These colours also recognised Fremantle's large Italian community, many of whom were involved in fishing. The away uniform was white with a purple anchor.

Since 2011, the home uniform is purple with three white chevron (V-shaped) arrows. The away uniform is white with purple chevrons.

One game each year is called the Purple Haze game. For this game, the team wears an all-purple uniform with a white anchor. This game helps raise money for the Starlight Children's Foundation.

For the annual Heritage Round, Fremantle used to wear a white uniform with three red chevrons. This was like the uniform of the original Fremantle Football Club from 1885. However, in 2007, they wore a blue and white striped design. This was based on the uniform of the East Fremantle Football Club from their 1979 WAFL Grand Final win.

In 2008, the club decided to review its team name, song, uniform, and logo. But they confirmed that the purple colour would stay. It had become a strong symbol for Fremantle.

Home Ground and Headquarters

Fremantle Oval, where the club's original training facilities were located.

From 1995 to 2017, the Fremantle Football Club trained and had its offices at Fremantle Oval. On February 21, 2017, the club moved to Cockburn ARC. This is a modern sports training and community centre in Cockburn Central.

The team plays its home games at Optus Stadium. This stadium has 61,000 seats. The club started playing there in 2018. Before that, they played at Subiaco Oval (from 2001) and the WACA Ground (from 1995 to 2000).

Team Songs

Fremantle's official song is "Freo Way to Go." It's a shorter version of their first song, "Freo Heave Ho." "Freo Way to Go" was chosen in 2011 after fans voted on the club's website.

Unlike most other AFL team songs, "Freo Way to Go" has a modern rock sound. Many opposing fans make fun of the song because it's different. But Fremantle fans love it! Author and fan Tim Winton said, "Every other team song sounds like a 'Knees Up Mother Brown' from previous eras. We've got a backbeat."

In 2021, Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker, a Fremantle local, became the club's new number one ticket holder. He released a new "pump-up" song for Fremantle to be played at home games.

Team Mascots

Johnny "The Doc" Docker, Fremantle's official mascot since 2003.

• 1995–1999: Grinder – A cartoon-like dock worker, similar to Popeye. He had a snarl and big muscles.
• 2000–2003: The Doc – A mascot with straggly blonde hair, looking a bit like players Clive Waterhouse or Shaun McManus.
• 2003–Present: Johnny "The Doc" Docker – A blonde-haired surfer with a surfboard. He is the official mascot for kids' promotions. Jenny Docker is also a mascot.

Ownership and Management

The West Australian Football Commission (WAFC) owns the club. Since 2003, a board of directors manages the club for the WAFC. The club has grown to be one of the wealthiest in the league. This helps them aim for continued success.

Rivalries

Western Derby

Action from a 2008 Western Derby game.

Fremantle's biggest rivalry is with the other Western Australian team, the West Coast Eagles. They play each other twice a year in intense "Western Derby" matches. West Coast won the first nine Derby games. But since Fremantle's first win in 1999, the results have been quite even. Fremantle has won 25 Derbies, and West Coast has won 24.

The name "Derby" comes from the famous games between East and South Fremantle in the WAFL. These games were very important in local football for almost 100 years.

Players

Current Squad

See also Fremantle Football Club drafting and trading history for the complete list of Fremantle's draft selections, delistings and trades

Leadership (Captain/Coach)

Matthew Pavlich was the club captain from 2007 to 2015.

Reserves Team

For most of Fremantle's history, players who weren't chosen for the AFL team played for various West Australian Football League (WAFL) teams. Since 2014, the Peel Thunder Football Club has been the main club for Fremantle's reserves players. This means Fremantle's reserves players play for Peel Thunder in the WAFL.

Most Games Played by Players

AFL Women's Team

Team History

Fremantle AFL Women's team huddle before a practice match in January 2017.

In May 2016, the club decided to try and get a team into the first ever AFL Women's season in 2017. Fremantle was given a license on June 15, 2016, beating out the West Coast Eagles.

Kiara Bowers and Kara Antonio were the first players signed for the team. Michelle Cowan became the team's first head coach in July 2016.

The Dockers had a tough first season in 2017, winning only one game. They did a little better in 2018, winning three games. In 2019, Fremantle had their most successful season. They lost only one game during the regular season and made the finals for the first time. The team was now coached by Trent Cooper.

In the post-season awards, Kiara Bowers and Dana Hooker both came second in major player awards. Bowers, Hooker, and Gemma Houghton were all named in the AFL Women's All-Australian team. Ashley Sharp won "Goal of the Year" for an amazing long-run goal.

Current Squad

Season Summaries

	Home and away						Finals				Coach	Captain	Best and fairest
Year	P	W	D	L	%	Rank	P	W	L	Rank
2023	10	4	0	6	71.9	13/18	-	-	-	13/18	Lisa Webb	Hayley Miller	Ange Stannett
2022 (S7)	10	3	1	6	66.8	12/18	-	-	-	12/18	Trent Cooper	Hayley Miller	Kiara Bowers
2022 (S6)	10	7	0	3	134.9	5/14	2	1	1	4/14	Trent Cooper	Hayley Miller	Hayley Miller
2021	9	6	0	3	185.1	5/14	1	0	1	5/14	Trent Cooper	Kara Antonio	Kiara Bowers
2020	6	6	0	0	154.7	1/14	1	1	0	1/14	Trent Cooper	Kara Antonio	Kiara Bowers
2019	7	6	0	1	141.2	2/10	1	0	1	3/10	Trent Cooper	Kara Donnellan	Kiara Bowers
2018	7	3	0	4	89.8	7/8	-	-	-	7/8	Michelle Cowan	Kara Donnellan	Ebony Antonio
2017	7	1	1	5	64.1	7/8	-	-	-	7/8	Michelle Cowan	Kara Donnellan	Dana Hooker
Total/Avg	66	36	2	28	-		5	2	3
Overall	71	38	2	31	-
P = Played, W = Win, D = Draw, L = Loss, % = Score for/Score against. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the finals series was cancelled after the first week, with no premiership awarded.

Source: AFLW History

Awards and Records

The Doig Medal is Fremantle's award for the best and fairest player each year. Coaches give votes to players after every game. At the end of the year, the player with the most votes wins the Doig Medal. The Beacon Award is given to the best first-year player.

AFL Women's Awards

Team Records

• Premierships: None
• Grand Final appearances: 1 (2013)
• Minor Premierships: 1 (2015)
• Wooden spoons: 1 (2001)
• Finals series reached: Eight times (2003, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022)
• Biggest winning margin: 113 points - 24.13 (157) vs. Greater Western Sydney 6.8 (44), Patersons Stadium, August 11, 2013
• Biggest losing margin: 133 points - 3.7 (25) vs. Geelong 24.14 (158), GMHBA Stadium, August 18, 2018
• Longest winning streak: 9 games (twice: 2006 and 2015)
• Longest losing streak: 18 games (2000–2001)
• Highest score: 28.12 (180) vs. Collingwood 10.8 (68), Subiaco Oval, May 8, 2005
• Lowest score: 1.7 (13) vs. Adelaide 19.16 (130), AAMI Stadium, July 11, 2009

Individual Player Awards and Records

A banner at Subiaco Oval celebrating the 200th game of Hall of Fame inductee Peter Bell.

Two-time Brownlow Medallist Nat Fyfe.

• Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees: Peter Bell (2015), Matthew Pavlich (2022)
• Brownlow Medallists: Nat Fyfe (2015, 2019)
• AFL Women's best and fairest winner: Kiara Bowers (2021)
• AFL Rising Star award: Paul Hasleby (2000); Rhys Palmer (2008); Caleb Serong (2020)
• All Australians: Matthew Pavlich (6 times); Peter Bell (2003); Paul Hasleby (2003); Aaron Sandilands (4 times); Luke McPharlin (2012); Michael Johnson (2013); Nat Fyfe (3 times); Hayden Ballantyne (2014); David Mundy (2015); Michael Walters (2019); Luke Ryan (2020, 2024); Andrew Brayshaw (2022); Caleb Serong (2023, 2024)
• AFLW All-Australians: Kara Antonio (2017); Dana Hooker (2018, 2019); Ebony Antonio (2018); Gemma Houghton (2019, 2020); Kiara Bowers (3 times); Janelle Cuthbertson (2021); Hayley Miller (2022 S6)
• Leigh Matthews Trophy (AFLPA Most Valuable Player) winners: Nat Fyfe (2014, 2015); Andrew Brayshaw (2022)
• Most games: David Mundy, 376 games
• Most goals: Matthew Pavlich, 700 goals
• Most goals in a season: 72 by Matthew Pavlich (2007)
• Most goals in a game: 10 by Tony Modra vs Melbourne, 1999
• Mark of the Year winners: Tony Modra (2000); Luke McPharlin (2005)
• Goal of the Year winners: Winston Abraham (1996); Hayden Ballantyne (2011); Caleb Serong (2021)
• Goal of the Year (AFLW) winners: Ashley Sharp (2019)

Attendance Records

• Record attendance (home and away game): 61,157, July 15, 2023 at MCG vs Collingwood
• Record attendance (AFLW home and away game): 41,975, February 10, 2018 at Perth Stadium vs Collingwood
• Record attendance (home game): 58,982, September 3, 2022 at Perth Stadium vs Western Bulldogs (Elimination Final)
• Record attendance (finals match): 100,007, September 28, 2013 at MCG vs Hawthorn (Grand Final)

Fremantle Football Hall of Legends

The Fremantle Football Hall of Legends started in 1995. It honours players from Fremantle's football past. Players are chosen by the two WAFL clubs from the Fremantle area: East Fremantle and South Fremantle. In the future, players who played for the AFL Fremantle team will also join this Hall.

Fremantle's 25 Since '95

In 2019, to celebrate the club's 25th anniversary, The West Australian newspaper named Fremantle's greatest team of the last 25 years. Fans and club officials voted for this team.

Supporters

Number-One Ticket Holders

Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker, the club's current number-one ticket holder.

It's a tradition for each AFL club to have a famous supporter as their "number-one ticket holder." Fremantle first chose Carmen Lawrence, a politician. But this was criticised for mixing politics and sport. So, the club changed its policy. Now, they choose a well-known Fremantle person for two years.

In 2010, the band Eskimo Joe became the number-one ticket holder. They even thought about writing a new theme song for the club! In 2011, Eskimo Joe's song was put to a fan vote, but it lost to "Freo Way To Go."

Other famous fans include former Western Australian Premiers Mark McGowan and Alan Carpenter, and musician Tim Minchin.

Membership Base

Supporters cheering on the Dockers.

Even though Fremantle hasn't won many championships, they have a lot of members. In 2004, their membership grew faster than any other AFL club. In 2023, Fremantle reached over 60,000 members for the first time ever!

Season	Members	Change from previous season	Finishing position (after finals)	Average home match crowds
1995	18,456	–	13th	23,361
1996	19,622	1,166 (+6.32%)	13th	22,473
1997	19,949	327 (+1.67%)	12th	21,982
1998	22,186	2,237 (+11.21%)	15th	23,365
1999	24,896	2,710 (+12.21%)	15th	23,972
2000	24,925	29 (+0.12%)	12th	22,357
2001	23,898	1,027 (−4.12%)	16th	21,258
2002	23,775	123 (−0.51%)	13th	26,359
2003	25,347	1,572 (+6.61%)	7th	31,688
2004	32,259	6,912 (+27.27%)	9th	35,693
2005	34,124	1,865 (+5.78%)	10th	35,224
2006	35,666	1,542 (+4.52%)	4th	37,063
2007	43,343	7,677 (+21.52%)	11th	37,474
2008	43,366	23 (+0.05%)	14th	35,877
2009	39,206	4,160 (−9.6%)	14th	33,144
2010	39,854	648 (+1.63%)	6th	37,084
2011	42,762	2,908 (+6.8%)	11th	34,394
2012	41,705	1,057 (−2.4%)	6th	33,386
2013	44,480	2,775 (+6.7%)	2nd	35,015
2014	48,776	4,296 (+9.7%)	6th	36,215
2015	51,433	2,657 (+5.4%)	3rd	36,914
2016	51,889	456 (+0.89%)	16th	31,416
2017	51,254	635 (-1.22%)	14th	32,375
2018	55,639	4,385 (+8.60%)	14th	41,764
2019	51,431	4,208 (-7.56%)	13th	40,896
2020	51,577	146 (+0.28%)	12th	16,215
2021	50,342	1,235 (-2.4%)	11th	30,008
2022	56,105	5,763 (11.4%)	6th	40,460
2023	62,064	5,959 (10.62%)	14th	41,199

Honours

Images for kids

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  Marking contest from a Fremantle Derby between South Fremantle and East Fremantle, c. 1910

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  A view over Fremantle Oval and the surrounding buildings, c. 1910

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  East Fremantle legend George Doig, namesake of Fremantle's Doig Medal

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  South Fremantle legend Bernie Naylor

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  Statue of John Gerovich's mark over Ray French

See also

In Spanish: Fremantle Football Club para niños

• List of Fremantle players (alphabetical)
• List of Fremantle Dockers league players (ordered by debut)
• Australian rules football in Western Australia
• Fremantle Football Club drafting and trading history
• Sport in Australia
• Sport in Western Australia