A NEW twist in the brawl between East Fremantle council and the East Fremantle Sharks could see the footy team having to cancel all its home games and move them elsewhere.
On Monday this week WA Football’s top brass reaffirmed a decision from October last year that the Sharks won’t be allowed to play games at their upgraded East Fremantle Oval home unless the council backs down over a ban on fencing.
Last week the council met with the WAF and tried to argue the fence-less ground was helping to boost crowds and the community use model was working so well it should be adopted at other footy venues.
With the start of the season a month away, the club had also emailed members saying it hoped to get a fencing exemption extended by the WAF so it could continue playing home games and help boost its revenue.
But on Monday WAF CEO Michael Roberts said safety concerns had prompted the decision to end the exemption.
“The WAFL venues policy exists to protect everyone involved in our competition and ensure we can effectively manage the crowds our elite-level football attracts,” Mr Roberts said.
WAF says fences make it possible to search bags, clothes and other possessions and help keep insults and vilification at bay.
“While we understand East Fremantle has faced unique challenges with the redevelopment of their home ground, we believe a fence is critical to the safety of players, volunteers and fans, along with consistency in venue standards, which is essential for maintaining the integrity and professionalism of the WAFL as WA’s premier state football commission,” Mr Roberts said.
“We are not insisting on ugly cyclone fencing, but rather a fence that is in keeping with the character of the precinct; it can be temporary or permanent.”
The council says everyone involved in the oval’s redevelopment knew about its no-fence stance and WAF was “open” to the concept.
In a statement, the council said having the issue pop up again was a “surprise”.
“In addition to being home to the EFFC, the park precinct accommodates the East Fremantle Bowls Club, the East Fremantle Croquet Club, youth facilities, a health and fitness club, a café and restaurant, nature playground, the East Freo Playgroup and a Child Health Clinic,” the council said.
“The facility is run under an integrated financial model that aims to deliver and share long-term benefits for the EFFC, the Town of East Fremantle and other users.
“The Town believes that the open access arrangement at the park has been working well since it opened in May 2024 and it understands that spectator numbers at local WAFL games have increased.
“In this way, the Park may provide an insight into a new model for the WAFL to expand its reach and influence into a local community.”
A Sharks life member and WAF staffer raised eyebrows to that claim, saying they’d not seen any evidence of bigger crowds at the Sharks’ games.
Late Thursday East Fremantle mayor Tony Natale told the Herald he was still hopeful of a breakthrough, saying they were still in discussions with the club over what constituted a fence under the WAF policy.
Mr Natale said Monday’s decision was a disappointing “surprise” as he’d thought last week’s meeting where alternatives to ringlock fencing were floated had been positive.
While he wouldn’t reveal what the fencing alternative was, he said it was a priority to find a solution before the season started at the beginning of April and called on WAF to consider extending the Sharks’ exemption.
by STEVE GRANT