Towards a National Competition - 1987-1996 Timeline

[The_Wookie]

Recently got some new books. So updates coming.

From - Fremantle Dockers - An Illustrated History (by Les Everett)



updates below

• 1988 - In eary 1988, East and South Fremantle Football Clubs put together a joiunt committe to look into the possibility of a team from Fremantle joining the competition. (Fremantle Dockers Illustrated History page 19)
• 1992 - East and South Fremantle cosnider combining to form a team in the AFL. (Fremantle Dockers Illustrated History page 19)
• 1993, June - a working party comprising WAFC CEO Jeff Owens, Ron Alexander, Graeme Samuel and Alan Schwab was formed to consider the prospects of a second club in WA. (Fremantle Dockers Illustrated History page 20)
• 1993, November - the working party reported to the WAFC and the AFL that a club should be formed and enter in 1995. (Fremantle Dockers Illustrated History page 20)
• 1993, December 14. Ross Oakley formally announces the entry of a second WA team into the AFL, with the Commission prefering a team based in Fremantle. (Fremantle Dockers Illustrated History page 20)
• 1994, April. Its announced that the second WA team will be based at Fremantle Oval. (Fremantle Dockers Illustrated History page 20)
• 1994, May. West Coast Manager Brian Cook says the club has registed the Perth Pirates name to prevent a Fremantle based team from using it. (Fremantle Dockers Illustrated History page 21)
• 1994, July 21. The Fremantle DOckers are officially launched at the Fremantle Passenger Terminal. (Fremantle Dockers Illustrated History page 21)
• 1994, July. Dockers executive David Hatt wrote to Alan Schwab saying that the club would "not shy away from getting as many AFL players as we can and by whatever method" (Fremantle Dockers Illustrated History page 25)

From The Pride of South Australia - A Crows Decade (Ashley Porter and the Adelaide Football Club)

• 1990, September 19. SANFL officially announces its intention to apply for a licens (Pride of South Australia, pg 10)
• 1990, October 11. SANFL and AFL agree to and finalise terms. (Pride of South Australia, pg 10)
• 1990, October 15. Interim board appointed by the SANFL meets for the first time. (Pride of South Australia, pg 13)
• 1990, November 28. AFL approves name, guernsey and logo. (Pride of South Australia, pg 13)
• 1991, February 13. SANFL and AFL sign license agreement. (Pride of South Australia, pg 10). Board queries the fact that 90% of the clubs operating surplus had to be returned to the SANFL - this was adjusted to 80%. (Pride of South Australia, pg 14)
• 1991, February 20. Here we go theme adopted on a temporary basis, subject to Toyota approval. (Pride of South Australia, pg 14)

More from Soaring - the Official History of the West Coast Eagles First 10 Years

• 1980, October 28. The VFL rejects East Perths application. (Soaring pg 10)
• 1986, August 1. A VFL report reveqaled that a number of clubs would be in serious financial trouble unless a national competition was introduced the following year (Soaring pg 14)
• 1986, August 22. Six WAFL directoprs and eight clubs vote 12-2 in favour of joining an expanded VFL Competition in 1987 (Soaring pg 10)
• 1986, October 31. Deadline for Eagles to pay 4m license fee. This was financed by Bankwest.

From The Footballers - From 1885 to the West Coast Eagles by Geoff Christian

• 1983, August 8. The WA Government appoints a 3 man task force to investigate the long term financial needs of WA league football. (The Footballers, pg 154)
• 1984, January 16. The WA Government task force recommends the formation of an independent board of directors be appointed to take overasll control of the game and that the Government take financial responsibility for Subaico (The Footballers, pg 154)
• 1985, October 29. The VFL commission releases detaails of plans for a 14 team competition for 1987. (The Footballers pg 157)

 

[megadeth86]

In regards the excellent Footballers book, it is interesting that it doesn't mention at all the 1984 Sandover Medal Count held in front of 3,000 mostly teenage fans (I was there) at the Perth Entertainment Centre. Most attendees were cheer squad members who waved flags, cheered and booed with typical gusto. The football estsblishment condemned the night and it was moved back to the Sheraton Hotel in 1985. It was a little bit disappointing that history might have been covered up only one year later in The Footballers book. The three tied Sandover Medallists were listed in the book appendix though.

 

[megadeth86]

By the way, if East Perth's VFL application had been accepted in 1980, we might have moved towards a national league made up only of traditional football clubs (no composite clubs), which would have been far better, in my personal view, than what we have now.

 

[Kwality]

By the way, if East Perth's VFL application had been accepted in 1980, we might have moved towards a national league made up only of traditional football clubs (no composite clubs), which would have been far better, in my personal view, than what we have now.

& destroyed the WA football nursery ? Who was going to fund it? Both the VFL & WAFL were broke.

WA fans are as likely to support East Perth as any Victorian fan is to change alliance to any other suburban club.

 

[The_Wookie]

& destroyed the WA football nursery ? Who was going to fund it? Both the VFL & WAFL were broke.

WA fans are as likely to support East Perth as any Victorian fan is to change alliance to any other suburban club.

If East Perth had gone to the VFL with the concessions and funding that the Eagles did, who knows.

 

[megadeth86]

& destroyed the WA football nursery ? Who was going to fund it? Both the VFL & WAFL were broke.

WA fans are as likely to support East Perth as any Victorian fan is to change alliance to any other suburban club.

OK, good points, mate. But back then East Perth was a huge club getting 12,000 regularly to home games. They had a massive latent support base too who came out for the big games, as did South Fremantle and West Perth. I guess if EP had joined we might have got a situation similar to Port Adelaide (AFL club) now.

I would have loved to have seen WP, EP, EF, and SF all join the VFL/AFL so you could have preserved the two great WA derbies and given them even more prominence on the national scene. Those four clubs would have had the biggest followings in WA anyway (only SD might rival them), so most existing supporters would have been catered to.