Footy in Western Australia

Current Scores: Weekend of August 3/4, 2024
Today, Western Australia is one of the four footy states in Australia. But it was a slower to take it on than Victoria, South Australia or Tasmania.
The first club to form was Unions at an unknown time likely in the late 1870's but they never had anyone to play as the state at that time was dominated by rugby union. A club called Swans was formed in 1883 but nothing was happening.
However by 1885 things were changing as growing discontent with rugby union combined with families rushing to Western Australia because of gold in the north of the state. Three rugby clubs switched codes in 1885 - Rovers, Victorians and Fremantle. They were joined by a school boys team called The High School. A competition was formed in an instant and retrospectively became the first season of what is now the Western Australian Football League.
Clubs came and went throughout the rest of the 19th century as gold was discovered in other parts of Western Australia - most notably in the Goldfields region. Not much was happening in Perth outside of the one competition, until the First Rate Junior competition formed in 1896. A Second Rate Junior competition formed in 1906 and the South Suburban competition was formed in 1909. The Rate competitions were ultimately absorbed by the WAFL while the Western Australian Amateur competition was formed in 1922. This and Sunday football in Fremantle and elsewhere were pretty much all of Perth's football.
In the regions, the Goldfields area got it's own league in 1896, then called the Hannans District Football League before changing it's name to Goldfields in 1901 - a name it retains today. At one point in time it was strong enough to have it's own seat on the Australian National Football Council until just after World War 1. By the 1930's there were many leagues around the state but nothing in the north of the start except for spasmodic efforts in remote Broome and some organisation in Carnarvon. Over 40 competitions were active, maybe even more. But as transport became an issue after the war mergers of leagues began with a flurry in the late 1950's and another flurry in the mid to late 1960's.
Football finally started making in roads in the north of the state. While Broome had played organised football for a while it wasn't until 1967 that Exmouth formed a competition. Mining was on the upswing and it wasn't long before there were competitions in the Tom Price/Paraburdoo area, Mount Newman and two competitions in the Pilbara. The east side of the Kimberley region also formed a competition.
More leagues were merging but things had started to be more stable. This was despite the introduction of the West Coast Eagles encroaching on to regional Sunday football, with some leagues starting to play games on Saturday to compensate. The introduction of Fremantle had a more profound effect on Sunday football in Perth with the competition ultimately folding after the 2008 season.
It was Western Australia that first used the 50 metre line out from goal, as well as a 25 metre line that never really caught on. Western Australia now hosts the second largest stadium in Australia, Perth Stadium - with only the Melbourne Cricket Ground bigger.
Category:Footy History