64-633: The Clontarf Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that assists in the education and employment of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. With support from the corporate/philanthropic sector, state/Territory governments and the Federal Government, academies now operate in 158 schools in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. The founder and Chief Executive Officer
128-406: A coach, winning only 32 of his 88 games to a winning percentage of 36 percent. Fellow AFL coach David Parkin described Neesham’s gameplan, that encouraged possession and was influenced by Neesham’s water polo background, as before his time. Neesham's first season as Fremantle Football Club senior coach was their inaugural season in the 1995 season , Neesham led Fremantle to finish thirteenth on
192-554: A finals match qualified them for a semi-final to be played against the Geelong Cats at the MCG the following week. In a one-sided contest, the Dockers lost by 69 points. The 2011 season saw Fremantle lose just once in the first six rounds before ending the year in 11th position after losing their final seven games. Fremantle's collapse was considered a result of a heavy injury count that began in
256-733: A flag with East Fremantle in 1985 . Neesham coached 259 games in total, 171 of which were for the Claremont Football Club in the WAFL. He won premierships in 1987 and 1989 as player-coach, and again in 1991 and 1993 as senior coach. In 1995 , he was appointed the inaugural senior coach of the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League . While Neesham introduced an attacking and exciting style of game that exhibited flair, he had limited success as
320-606: A predominately purple home jumper, Fremantle wore the Starlight Foundation logo, a yellow star, above the highest chevron for their Purple Haze game. Since 2003, the AFL has hosted an annual Heritage Round . Until 2006, Fremantle wore a white guernsey with three red chevrons, to emulate the jumper worn by the original Fremantle Football Club in 1885. However, in 2007, the selected round had Fremantle playing Sydney, who also wear red and white. An alternative blue and white striped design
384-572: A promising start to the 2024 AFL season , winning their first three games, before two close losses in Adelaide and a shock loss in Western Derby 58 surrounded their season with uncertainty. The Dockers rebounded, losing just one of their next six games before the mid-season bye to sit inside the top eight. They were entrenched inside the top eight for much of the year and were in the top four as late as round 20, before losing their final four matches. This
448-511: A semi-final at the MCG in front of a crowd of over 90,000, losing the game by 20 points. After losing their opening 2 games of the 2023 AFL season , Fremantle recorded their first win in the 56th Western Derby , beating the Eagles by 41 points. Despite a mid-season resurgence, beating both 2022 Grand Finalists in consecutive weeks, the Dockers would fade out to finish 14th on the ladder. Fremantle had
512-599: Is Gerard Neesham , former coach of Fremantle Football Club . Staff include former teachers, youth workers, professional football players and people from a range of industries. The original Clontarf Football Academy was established in 2000 at the Clontarf Aboriginal College site in Waterford, Western Australia . Since then, Clontarf academies have expanded to the Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Academies now operate in
576-677: Is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the East Fremantle Football Club , Swan Districts Football Club and Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). Hailing from a famous Western Australian sporting family, Neesham enjoyed a very successful football career both as a player and coach, and
640-573: Is named after the Fremantle Derby games between East and South Fremantle in the West Australian Football League , which for almost 100 years have been considered some of the most important games in the local league. The 1979 WANFL Grand Final holds the football attendance record for the now-closed Subiaco Oval of 52,781. The Dockers and the St Kilda Football Club have seen a number of controversial events between them, most notably
704-448: Is one of only three active AFL clubs not to have won a premiership (the others being Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney ), though it did claim a minor premiership in 2015 and reached the 2013 Grand Final , losing to Hawthorn . High-profile players who forged careers at Fremantle include All-Australian Matthew Pavlich , Hall of Fame inductee Peter Bell , and dual Brownlow Medal winner Nat Fyfe , who previously captained
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#1732854538491768-472: Is the chief executive officer and now runs 119 Academies across Australia, with a total enrolment of approximately 9,000 students. Fremantle Football Club The Fremantle Football Club , nicknamed the Dockers or colloquially Freo , is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent
832-515: The AFL siren controversy at York Park in 2006. The match was sent into a state of confusion with Fremantle leading by one point when the siren (which had not been very loud all game) was not heard by the umpires who then allowed St Kilda tagger Steven Baker to score a point after time had elapsed and, as a result, the match ended in a draw. The outcome of the game was taken to the AFL Commission and it
896-436: The Dockers brand of clothing, challenged the club's right to use the name "Fremantle Dockers", specifically on clothing. As a result, the club and the AFL discontinued the official use of the "Dockers" nickname in 1997. However, it remained in common usage both inside and outside the club, and continued to appear in the official team song "Freo Way to Go" and as the title of the official club magazine Docker . In October 2010,
960-402: The Sydney Swans , by 25 points to advance to their maiden AFL Grand Final . In the 2013 grand final , the Dockers were defeated by Hawthorn by a margin of 15 points. In 2014, the club reached the finals for the third successive year with a top-four finish and 16 wins, but despite earning a double chance, they were knocked out after losses to Sydney away and Port Adelaide at home. Nat Fyfe
1024-480: The Sydney Swans . In 2006, against St Kilda at Aurora Stadium in Launceston , they played in a controversial Round 5 match (dubbed " Sirengate ") that initially ended in a draw. However, the AFL overturned the draw result the following Wednesday after the match; the controversy was due to an off-field error made by the timekeepers not sounding the siren for long enough to confirm that the umpires heard it, as well as
1088-532: The West Coast Eagles , who they play twice each year in the home and away season , in the fiercely contested " Western Derby " matches (Pronounced / ˈ d ɜːr b i / in Western Australia). West Coast were victorious in the first nine games, before Fremantle won in round 16, 1999, after which has prompted a fairly even Derby result with Fremantle at 25 and West Coast at 24 Derby wins. The term "derby"
1152-462: The best and fairest at Swan Districts in 1979 and 1980 which led to him being noticed around the country as a top quality player. This led to Neesham having a brief and unsuccessful stint in the VFL with the Sydney Swans , where he played nine games for one goal in 1982. He played in the last two of Swan Districts’ hat-trick of premierships in 1983 and 1984 , and made it three in a row when he won
1216-608: The 21 teams to have ever played in the VFL/AFL league. Because of this unimpressive win record, they are yet to win a premiership. This fact has earned them the nickname "Flagmantle", which is an optimistic joke used by fans. The Dockers' halcyon years took place between 2013 and 2015, where they earned three successive top-four finishes to go with their only grand final appearance ( 2013 ) and their only minor premiership ( 2015 ). Fremantle played its first drawn match in Round 8, 2013, against
1280-587: The AFL system Neesham became a teacher at Clontarf Aboriginal College and was asked to coach the school’s football team. As an ex-AFL coach, Neesham's presence attracted a number of students and he saw the opportunity to use football as encouragement for the students to remain at school and improve their lives. In 2000 he set up the Clontarf Foundation , which encourages school and football participation amongst indigenous youth in Western Australia . He
1344-605: The Crows in Adelaide the following week, ending their finals campaign. In 2013, Fremantle finished the home-and-away season in third position with a club-best 16 wins. In their qualifying final against the Cats in Geelong, the Dockers produced a first-round upset with a 15-point victory to advance through to a home preliminary final. In the preliminary final, the Dockers defeated the reigning premiers,
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#17328545384911408-615: The Fremantle AFL team. Players recruited from the WAFL have remained with their original club, and players recruited from interstate have been allocated to teams via a draft system. Since the 2014 season, the Peel Thunder Football Club has served as the host club for the Fremantle Dockers, an arrangement which will see Fremantle's reserves players playing in the WAFL for Peel Thunder Football Club . An attempt to field
1472-492: The Fremantle Football Club would undergo a thorough review of all areas, including the club's team name, song, guernsey, and logo in a bid to boost its marketability. However he later confirmed that the purple colour will be maintained as it had become synonymous with Fremantle. Fremantle Football Club had its original training and administration facilities at Fremantle Oval from 1995 until 2017. On 21 February 2017
1536-486: The Volga Boatmen ", which was dropped in 2011, leaving only the original composition of Walther. Due to its unconventional style, the song is derided by many opposition supporters and defended with equally fierce loyalty by many fans. "Every other team song sounds like a ' Knees Up Mother Brown ' from previous eras. We've got a backbeat", boasted author and Fremantle fan Tim Winton . In 2021, in response to being named
1600-464: The WAFC $ 4 million. On 21 July 1994, the names "Fremantle Football Club", "Fremantle Dockers" and the club colours of purple, red, green and white were announced. A first training session for the inaugural squad was held on 31 October 1994 at Fremantle Oval . The team endured some tough years near the bottom of the premiership ladder, until they finished fifth after the home and away rounds in 2003 and made
1664-479: The WAFC. Prior to this, a two-tier arrangement was in place, with a Board of Management between the board of directors and the commission. The initial club chief executive officer was David Hatt , who had come from a hockey background, and the inaugural club chairman was Ross Kelly , who had played for West Perth . It was a deliberate act by the commission to avoid having administrators from either East Fremantle or South Fremantle in key roles, as they wanted
1728-610: The West Coast Eagles and the VFL, a second WA franchise was not legally possible until after the 1992 season. Moreover, the model of a joint venture between two WAFL clubs was opposed by the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC). On 14 December 1993, the AFL announced that a new team, to be based in Fremantle, would enter the league in 1995, with the provisional name "Fremantle Sharks." The licence had cost
1792-413: The anchor symbol as the basis for all of their guernseys . The home guernsey was purple, with a white anchor on the front separating the chest area into red and green panels, representing the traditional maritime port and starboard colours. The colours also acknowledged Fremantle's large Italian community , which historically has been associated with the city's fishing community. The away or clash guernsey
1856-421: The club moved its training and administration facilities to Cockburn ARC , a professional sports training facility and community recreation centre that was constructed in 2015–17 at a price of $ 109 million, located in the suburb of Cockburn Central . The team's home games are played at Optus Stadium , a 61,000 seat multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Burswood . The club began playing home matches at
1920-407: The club to be bigger than just representing Fremantle. Kelly resigned at the end of 1998, replaced by Ross McLean . Whilst he presided over some key financial decisions, including the building of the club's administrative and training centre at Fremantle Oval and the deferment of the licence fee to the AFL, it was Fremantle's lowest point onfield, culminating in a two-win season in 2001 which saw
1984-739: The club under both Ross Lyon and current head coach Justin Longmuir . Originally based at Fremantle Oval , the club's training and administrative facilities are now located nearby at Cockburn ARC in Cockburn Central , whilst its home ground is the 60,000-capacity Perth Stadium in Burswood . Fremantle has also fielded a women's team in the AFL Women's league since the competition's inception in 2017. They are currently coached by Lisa Webb and captained by Angelique Stannett . Their most successful season
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2048-424: The club win its first finals game in the semi-final against Melbourne at Subiaco Oval. The club subsequently earned a trip to Sydney to play in its first ever preliminary final, where they lost by 35 points at ANZ Stadium to the Sydney Swans . In 2007, following Chris Connolly's resignation midway through the season, Mark Harvey , a three-time premiership player with Essendon , was appointed caretaker coach for
2112-400: The club's first Brownlow Medalist . Season 2016 marked Matthew Pavlich's final season in the AFL, as Fremantle missed the finals following a 10-game losing streak to start the year, finishing in 16th position with just four wins. Ross Lyon was sacked as coach on 20 August 2019 after the club failed to qualify for the finals. He was replaced by Justin Longmuir . Longmuir's first season
2176-450: The club's new number one ticket holder, Tame Impala frontman and Fremantle local Kevin Parker released a new Fremantle "pump-up" track to be played at home games. Bolstering the Fremantle connection, the song draws inspiration from AC/DC . The club is owned by the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC). Since 2003, a board of directors controls the operation of the club, on behalf of
2240-482: The club. During his seven matches for 2007, Harvey coached the Dockers to four wins and three losses. The club came 11th that year, and Harvey was appointed full-time coach at the end of the season. The following year saw the club slump to 14th. In Round 15, 2009, Fremantle recorded the lowest score in its history and of the 2000s, scoring only 1.7 (13) to the Adelaide Crows' 19.16 (130). It scored just one point in
2304-437: The coach Damian Drum be sacked mid-year. McLean resigned following an inadvertent breach of the salary cap . In early 2001 Hatt accepted a government job and Cameron Schwab was appointed. After weathering the fallout from the disastrous 2001 season, Schwab and the new chairman, local West Australian retailing businessman Rick Hart , set about rebuilding the club. A former recruiting manager, Schwab focused on building up
2368-699: The early years of the West Australian Football League (WAFL), winning 24 of the first 34 premierships. Since 1897, Fremantle Oval has been the main venue for Australian rules football matches in the city. Until the opening of Perth Stadium in 2018, the record attendance for an Australian rules football game in Western Australia stood at 52,781 for the 1979 WANFL Grand Final between East Fremantle and South Fremantle at Subiaco Oval . Champion footballers who forged careers playing for Fremantle-based clubs include, among other Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees, Steve Marsh , Jack Sheedy , John Todd , George Doig , William Truscott and Bernie Naylor . Despite
2432-401: The finals for the first time. The elimination final against eighth-placed Essendon at Subiaco Oval was then the club's biggest ever game, but ended in disappointment for the home team, with the finals experience of Essendon proving too strong for the young team. They then missed making the finals in the following two seasons, finishing both years with 11 wins, 11 losses and only 1 game outside
2496-449: The first half and the only goal scored came in the third quarter. After finishing sixth in 2010, the club played in the finals for the first time since 2006. The team played Hawthorn at Subiaco Oval, and despite being considered underdogs, went on to win by 30 points. The win came from strong performances from Luke McPharlin and Adam McPhee who limited the impact of Lance Franklin and Luke Hodge, respectively. The team's second ever win in
2560-538: The following locations: Western Australia – Northern Territory - Victoria - Queensland - New South Wales - South Australia - Some of the Clontarf students who have gone on to play football at a professional level include Mark Williams , Dion Woods , Andrew Krakouer , Michael Johnson , Lewis Jetta, Chris Yarran , Patrick Ryder , Joel Hamling and Sam Petrovski-Seton. Gerard Neesham Gerard Joseph Neesham OAM (born 11 December 1954)
2624-405: The ladder with eight wins and fourteen losses. In the 1996 season , Neesham led Fremantle to finish thirteenth on the ladder with seven wins and fifteen losses. In the 1997 season , Neesham led Fremantle to finish twelve on the ladder with ten wins and twelve losses. In the 1998 season , Fremantle's on-field performance under Neesham dropped when they finished fifteenth in (second-last) position on
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2688-496: The ladder with seven wins and fifteen losses. At the end of the 1998 season, Neesham was sacked as Fremantle Football Club senior coach after Fremantle Football Club chairman Ross Kelly showed him the door. Neesham was replaced by former Geelong player and Sydney assistant coach, Damian Drum as Fremantle Football Club senior coach. Neesham is a member of the West Australian Football Hall of Fame . After leaving
2752-450: The long history of Australian rules football in Fremantle, the expansion of the then-Victorian Football League into Western Australia, took the form of a state-wide club, with the creation of the West Coast Eagles, in 1987. Soon afterwards, there were negotiations between WAFL clubs East Fremantle and South Fremantle , regarding formation of a second WA-based VFL club, as a joint venture. Due to exclusive rights clauses in contracts between
2816-479: The match. Lyon became Fremantle's longest serving and most successful coach before being sacked in 2019. He later returned for a second coaching stint at St Kilda in 2023, and his first game back was against Fremantle. Head coach Assistant coaches Updated: 19 November 2024 Source(s): Players , Coaches For most of Fremantle's history, players have played for various West Australian Football League (WAFL) teams when not selected to play for
2880-454: The on-field performance by recruiting high-profile players in Trent Croad , Peter Bell and Jeff Farmer , as well as coach Chris Connolly and with Hart then focused on enhancing the corporate and financial standing of the club. The club membership grew every year from 2002 until 2008 and the final licence payment was made to the AFL in 2005. Schwab chose to return to Melbourne in 2008 and
2944-476: The port city of Fremantle , a stronghold of Australian rules football in Western Australia . The Dockers were the second team from the state to be admitted to the competition, following the West Coast Eagles in 1987. Both Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles are owned by the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC), with a board of directors operating Fremantle on the commission's behalf. Despite having participated in and won several finals matches , Fremantle
3008-440: The pre-season. In September 2011, Mark Harvey was sensationally sacked by the club in favour of still-contracted St Kilda coach Ross Lyon . Fremantle qualified for the finals in 2012 after finishing in seventh position. In their elimination final against Geelong , the Dockers won their first ever finals game away from home with a 16-point victory at the MCG behind Matthew Pavlich 's six goals. Fremantle subsequently lost to
3072-562: The season before finishing fifth with fifteen wins, six losses, and one draw. Fremantle's return to finals saw them play the Western Bulldogs in an elimination final at Optus Stadium . Fremantle were dominated in the early stages of the game, with the Bulldogs holding a 42–1 lead at the nine-minute mark of the second term. Fremantle would go on to kick 11 of the last 13 goals to win the game by 13 points. Fremantle next faced Collingwood in
3136-454: The siren not being loud enough for the field umpires to hear over the roar of the crowd in the first place, and Fremantle were eventually declared as one-point winners with no protest from St Kilda. It marked the first time a game result had later been overturned since 1900. The club is nicknamed the "Dockers" in reference to Fremantle's history as a port city. Shortly after the club was launched in 1994, Levi Strauss & Co. , which produces
3200-403: The strong association that members and fans have with the "Dockers" nickname led the club to form a new arrangement with Levi Strauss & Co which allows the club to officially use the nickname "Dockers" everywhere including on clothing and other brand elements. This name change was made in conjunction with changes to the club logo and playing strip. Until 2011 the Fremantle Football Club used
3264-400: The top eight. After an average first half to the 2006 AFL season , Fremantle finished the year with a club-record nine straight wins to earn themselves third position at the end of the home and away season with a club-best 15 wins. In the qualifying final against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium , the Dockers led for the first three-quarters before being overrun by the Crows. The following week saw
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#17328545384913328-508: The venue in 2018, having previously played home matches at Subiaco Oval from 2001 onward and before that the WACA Ground from 1995 to 2000. The official song of Fremantle is " Freo Way to Go ", a truncated version of the club's original song, "Freo Heave Ho", written by Ken Walther . "Freo Way to Go" was adopted in 2011 following a poll on the Dockers' official website, beating out three other newly composed songs, including "Freo Freo", which
3392-404: The wealthiest clubs in the league and their surprise recruitment of Ross Lyon to replace Mark Harvey as coach at the end of the 2011 is seen as an example of their ruthless drive for sustained success. In 2014, Harris resigned as president and was replaced by the then vice president, Perth property developer Dale Alcock . Fremantle's biggest rivalry is with the other Western Australian team,
3456-527: Was all white with a purple anchor. Since the end of the 2010 home and away season, the home jumper is purple with three white chevrons, and the away jumper is white with purple chevrons. One game each year is designated as the Purple Haze game, where an all-purple jumper with a white anchor is worn. This game is used to raise money for the Starlight Children's Foundation . After the guernsey re-design to
3520-406: Was also met with widespread criticism and was accused of backstabbing St Kilda by many Saints supporters as the club was made aware that Fremantle had approached Lyon during St Kilda's lead-up to its finals campaign. The two clubs contested a highly anticipated Friday night match in Round 4 of the 2012 AFL season at Etihad Stadium , with Fremantle winning by 13 points and Lyon being booed throughout
3584-611: Was awarded the Leigh Matthews Trophy for winning the AFL Players' Association MVP award. In 2015, the club were crowned minor premiers for the first time in their history, earning their first piece of silverware with the McClelland Trophy . However, the club failed to convert this into a grand final appearance, losing to Hawthorn by 27 points in its home preliminary final. Fremantle ended their season with Nat Fyfe becoming
3648-504: Was catalysed by injuries to key position players, including captain Alex Pearce, leading goalkicker Josh Treacy, and starting ruckman Sean Darcy. The Dockers finished 10th with a record of 12 wins, 10 losses and one draw, just half a win behind Carlton in eighth place. After struggling in their early start-up years, Fremantle have continued to struggle over the years, with an overall win percentage of 45.52% as of July 2024, ranked 16th out of
3712-431: Was decided during the week that as the siren had gone Fremantle were judged to be the winners, disallowing Baker's point. During the 2011 off-season, Fremantle sacked coach Mark Harvey and replaced him with then-St Kilda coach Ross Lyon in controversial circumstances. The move was met with much criticism towards Fremantle's president, Steve Harris, and CEO, Steve Rosich, claiming that they had "backstabbed" Harvey. Lyon
3776-474: Was during the COVID-19 -affected 2020 AFL season , which was shortened from 22 matches to 17. Fremantle would lose their first four games before finding form and finishing 12th on the ladder with 7 wins and 10 losses. The 2022 AFL season would prove to be a breakout year for the Dockers, who qualified for finals for the first time since the 2015 AFL season and were in contention for a top-4 finish throughout
3840-778: Was recognised for his achievements in 2004 when he was inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame . Since 2000, Neesham has served as chief executive officer of the Clontarf Foundation . His services to indigenous youth and to football were recognised in 2011 when he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia as part of the Australia Day Honours List. In the WAFL , Neesham played for East Fremantle in 79 games, Swan Districts in 97 games, and Claremont in 42 games. He also represented Western Australia three times. He won
3904-431: Was replaced as CEO by Steve Rosich , who had previously worked for the West Coast Eagles . A year later Hart resigned as president and Steve Harris , who runs The Brand Agency and had produced advertising for Fremantle since 2002, took over at the end of 2009. Harris had been on the board since November 2008, the first club chairman or president to have previously served on the board. The club has developed into one of
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#17328545384913968-512: Was the 2020 season , in which the team was undefeated, but was ultimately cancelled without a premiership awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The port city of Fremantle , Western Australia has a rich footballing history, hosting the state's first organised game of Australian rules in 1881. Fremantle's first teams, the Fremantle Football Club , the Union/Fremantle Football Club and East Fremantle Football Club , dominated
4032-494: Was used, based on the jumper worn by the East Fremantle Football Club in their 1979 WAFL Grand Final win over the South Fremantle Football Club . This Fremantle Derby held the record, prior to the opening of Optus Stadium , for the highest attendance at a football game of any code in Western Australia, with 52,781 attending at Subiaco Oval . In September 2008, newly appointed CEO Steve Rosich confirmed that
4096-423: Was written by Fremantle-based indie rock group and the Dockers' then-number one ticket holder, Eskimo Joe . The poll took place around the same time that the club's guernsey and logo were also updated. Unlike other AFL team songs , "Freo Way to Go" is played to a contemporary rock tune. "Freo Heave Ho" also had a section based on Igor Stravinsky 's arrangement of the traditional Russian folk song, " Song of
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