As we continue to fight for a playable oval and access to our new facility, we have been forced to relocate our August 3 match against South Fremantle, and can confirm that it will be played at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.
We thank South Fremantle Football Club and the City of Fremantle for accommodating us and we look forward to working with them to deliver a fantastic spectacle of football.
The rivalry between our clubs is fierce but we both recognise the importance of the Derby fixture as the biggest game in the WAFL calendar – this was clear by the record-breaking crowd on WA Day and we look forward to seeing an army of blue & white alongside a sea of red & white for the round 18 clash.
In the meantime we remain incredibly frustrated that we are unable to return to Shark Park.
The ongoing and well documented delays with the oval have been compounded by the failure of the Town of East Fremantle to provide a reasonable Sub-Lease and License Agreement to allow us to return to our home.
The state government has made a significant investment to enable this development and it is bitterly disappointing that this has not yet resulted in providing a home for our football club and a venue for the community to enjoy WAFL football.
It is in the interests of
all
parties that we are granted access to the facility on fair terms. We regret that this current situation is having a negative impact on other sporting clubs including the Fremantle City Football Club (soccer), East Fremantle Bowls Club and the East Fremantle Croquet Club. Belgravia (the operators of the new facility) are also financially impacted, as are neighbouring businesses which would normally enjoy a booming day of trade on WAFL match days at Shark Park.
We understand how frustrating this is and we are incredibly grateful to you – our loyal members and fans – who have stood by the Club. Once again, on the weekend just gone, many of you made the long trek down to Mandurah and helped get the boys over the line against all the odds.
We are currently working through contingency planning for the remaining 2024 fixtures and will make further announcements over the coming weeks.
On another note, we join the WAFL community in mourning the tragic death of South Fremantle Colts player Nick Campo on the weekend. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and teammates – and we offer our best wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured in the crash.
This tragic event puts our current challenges into perspective, and all East Fremantle players will wear black armbands for this Saturday’s match at West Perth as a sign of respect.
Mark Stewart Addy Wetzler
President CEO
