As partner clubs of the Fremantle Football Club, each club’s Under 17s side will fly to Perth to undertake a series of events to assist in developing their football and ultimately strengthening their respective relationships with the Fremantle Football Club and each other.
The highlight of the tour comes on Sunday when the three teams play in a round robin format in the lead up to the Fremantle vs. Melbourne clash at Subiaco Oval. It will be the second time in the history of the Fremantle Football Club Youth League that three teams will be involved in the curtain raiser. Each partner club will play each other once in a series of matches consisting of 2x15 minute halves.
During their time in Western Australia, the partner clubs will take in a tour of the Fremantle Football Club, several Round 17 WAFL clashes on Saturday, strength and conditioning sessions with Fremantle staff, team building games with General Manager – Leadership and Development James Begley and tours of Fremantle Gaol and Stirling Naval Base.
Community Development Manager David Crute said hosting the partner clubs each year was one of the Fremantle Football Club’s highlights in its Community Development Programme.
“We initially extended an invitation to Doncaster Heights to visit WA in 2006 and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience,” Mr Crute said.
“Due to the overwhelming success of the Doncaster Heights visit, we decided to extend the invitation to Burnie and Balmain in 2007. Having the three clubs visit at the same time really fostered relationships between not just the Fremantle Football Club and them but also amongst the partner clubs.”
Fremantle boasts 26 partner clubs and schools that spread far and wide from metropolitan Perth to Europe and the United States of America. Fremantle’s partner clubs wear the Fremantle playing strip in their matches.
Roger Hayden, Steven Dodd and Community Development Manager David Crute were recently humbled to see first hand how partner school Comet Bay College paid tribute to the club for their support when the trio presented the school with a new set of playing jumpers in June.
Comet Bay College’s renovated gymnasium and changerooms looked remarkably similar to the Fremantle Football Club’s facilities at Fremantle Oval with the walls adorned with Fremantle logos as well as the carpets, furniture and equipment all adding to the ‘Freo feel’ with purple, white, red and green throughout the buildings.
“We were told we were going to be pleasantly surprised with how the gym and changerooms would look but we didn’t expect Comet Bay to go to the lengths that they did to create a true Fremantle environment as well as they did,” Mr Crute said.
“It was truly remarkable to see how much trouble they went to to pay recognition to the Fremantle Football Club for the assistance they have given Comet Bay as one of the club’s partner schools.”
Comet Bay College offers students an Australian Football Specialist Program. The school competes in the Smarter Than Smoking Cup in the Peel Region and, as an official partner school of Fremantle, wear the Fremantle Football Club playing strip in their matches.
Last year Fremantle presented the school with playing strips for their years 8 and 9 teams and this year added to their collection by donating a set of jumpers for their year 10 team.
Prior to Roger and Steven presenting the school with their newest set of Fremantle jumpers, David interviewed the pair on stage in front of the school’s talented footballers about their rise from playing junior footy to reaching the AFL. The pair encouraged Comet Bay’s players to really commit themselves to reaching the highest level if that was their dream, saying how those who want it the most get there in the end if they put the required work in.
Fremantle's Partner Club programme is proudly supported by Members Equity Bank.
Fremantle Football Club Partner Clubs and Schools
Dalyellup JFC, WA
Ellenbrook JFC, WA
Secret Harbour JFC, WA
Murchison Football Association, WA
Templestowe FC, VIC
Doncaster Heights JFC, VIC
Templestowe Park PS Auskick Centre, VIC
Donvale Auskick Centre, VIC
Burnie Dockers FC, TAS
Balmain Dockers FC, NSW
North Ryde Dockers FC, NSW
Cincinnati Dockers, USA
Hamburg Dockers, GERMANY
Dublin Dockers, IRELAND
Secret Harbour PS, WA
Ellenbrook PS, WA
Clifton Hills PS, WA
Arbor Grove PS, WA
Bicton PS, WA
St Thomas PS, WA
Balgo Community School, WA
Fremantle PS, WA
Southern Districts Junior Football Association, WA
Comet Bay PS, WA
Comet Bay College, WA
Ocean Forrest College,WA
Forrestfield PS, WA
