A FULL complement of West Australian Football League (WAFL) Women’s sides, and a venture into double-digit night games for the men’s senior competition highlight the 2025 fixtures that were released on Friday.

Perth will join the WAFL Women’s competition for the first time in 2025, coached by former AFLW player Jess Sedunary, with the Bombers set to renew rivalries with other Perth sides – West Perth and East Perth – who were the two most recent expansion sides to the competition.

The Bombers will kick off their season down in Mandurah against reigning wooden spooners Peel Thunder on March 29, with a Fremantle Derby between the Bulldogs and Sharks taking place up the highway at Fremantle Community Bank Oval. Later on that night, West Perth hosts Subiaco at Joondalup, with East Perth and Swan Districts clashing in the night game at Sullivan Logistics Stadium. Reigning premiers Claremont has the bye.

Perth’s first home game will come a week later when hosting South Fremantle at Mineral Resources Park on April 5, a day after a blockbuster preliminary final rematch between the Falcons and Tigers under lights at Joondalup. On the same day, the Sharks will host its first game at the renovated East Fremantle Oval, taking on Peel Thunder.

The Falcons will not have to punch out the kilometres early in the season with a third straight home game on April 11, welcoming the newcomer Bombers. With a bye in Round 4, the Falcons will not need to travel until Round 5. Round 3 also marks the grand final rematch between Claremont and East Fremantle at Revo Fitness Stadium, with both sides likely to have plenty of changes from when they met on the big day.

In 2025, the WAFL Women’s fixture will be expanded to 18 rounds to accommodate the ninth team, with each side playing each other twice, and having two byes along the way. The final home and away round will play out across August 1-3, with the finals series to take place the three weeks after that, culminating in the WAFL Grand Final on Saturday, August 23.

West Australian Football Commission Head of WAFL Competitions Luke Sanders said he was looking forward to further growth in the WAFL Women’s competition.

“The standard of the WAFLW continues to improve and last season’s exciting Grand Final between Claremont and East Fremantle was a fitting finale to a great season of women’s football in WA,” Sanders said.

“The WAFC believes the skills and depth of talent across the League will continue to improve, and with the introduction of a new player points system this will ensure another highly successful year for the competition.”

For the WAFL League competition, Peel Thunder will unfurl its flag in Round 1 when taking on Claremont down in Mandurah, while East Perth and Subiaco will face off at their shared home venue of Sullivan Logistics Stadium. Swan Districts hosts West Perth, with West Coast Eagles taking on East Fremantle, and Perth and South Fremantle will be locking horns in the other Round 1 match.

Like in the women’s, there will be a little wait until the Thunder takes on East Perth in a grand final rematch, with the two sides doing battle at Leederville in Round 5. As always, traditional Anzac Day and WA Day matches will take place with Fremantle and Perth Derbies across the Round 8 weekend.

For the upcoming season, the WAFL League competition will play 20 home and away rounds, with each side playing 18 matches and having two byes, with a four-week finals series to follow. The WAFL Grand Final will be held on Sunday, September 21 at Optus Stadium.

A highlight of the fixture is 10 night games to be played, including the Round 1 match between Subiaco and East Perth. Seven night games take place on Saturday nights, with a further three on Friday nights.

Sanders said the competition looked forward to providing more prime time matches.

“WAFL clubs work hard to create a fantastic atmosphere for fans and families, providing a unique chance to listen to coaches and enjoy a kick on the ground at breaks,” he said.

“The 20-round-home-and-away season aims to provide the fairest fixture for the most exciting state league competition in Australia.

“While the traditional timeslot of Saturday afternoon will continue, the addition of several Saturday night games provides fans with opportunities to see their favourite clubs.

“Playing games across the weekend creates opportunities for the WAFL, including attracting a larger audience and supporting initiatives such as WA Day and NAIDOC week.”

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