WAFL 2025: East Fremantle to play home Fremantle Derby clash in rival territory

East Fremantle will play its home derby next season at Fremantle Oval in a bid to recoup lost revenue as it embraces a ‘no fences’ policy at its revamped home ground. New Sharks chief executive Adrian Bromage, who was officially appointed full-time on Monday after filling the role on an interim basis, confirmed the club had reached an in-principle agreement with their arch-rival. The WAFL club has also appointed Brownlow medallist and club favourite Shane Woewodin as head of football, while president Mark Stewart has announced he will be stepping down after 19 years at the helm. Bromage has had talks with West Australian Football Commission CEO Michael Roberts about how the club aims to “embrace the no fences policy”. WAFL rules state the Sharks must charge admission to home games, but under an agreement struck with the State Government, which contributed $26 million, and the Town of East Fremantle ($7m) to their redeveloped Moss Street headquarters, the club is prohibited from erecting fences. “We have to to embrace what we have got at the moment,” Bromage told The West Australian. “We will tinker with the model, with how it works for East Fremantle at home games. “But we will embrace the ‘no fence’ situation. Get as many people as we can to the footy and then we have to find ways to service our members and visiting members and make it work for everyone. “For us, it’s how we provide a great game day experience on those days. “I only see it as a positive. We have experienced a decline in crowds for certain games in and around the WAFL. “It could be an opportunity to change things up. It is very low (gate receipts) and particularly when we take the derby out of the equation. “I am exploring it through a different set of eyes where we embrace those times when we don’t have a fence, get people back to the footy.” The agreement means both derbies between the Sharks and rival South Fremantle will be played at Fremantle Oval next season. The two clubs are yet to finalise a revenue sharing model for the Sharks’ relocated home game. It comes as a master plan for the redevelopment of Fremantle Oval has been endorsed by the local council and is now open for public comment, which will force the Bulldogs to also seek a temporary home during the redevelopment. East Fremantle’s idea to erect temporary fencing and charge for this year’s August 3 home derby against South Fremantle angered the Bulldogs who felt their fans would be discriminated against when other WAFL supporters could enter the Sharks home games for free. Ultimately, the problem was averted as resurfacing issues and hold ups to the $34 million redevlopment agreement meant the Sharks were not able to play home games this season at Moss Street anyway. The appointments of Bromage and Woewodin follow 2023 premiership coach BIll Monaghan signing a two-year contract extension, taking his tenure to the end of 2027. Woewodin, the 2000 Brownlow medallist with Melbourne, is an East Fremantle best-and-fairest winner and former coach of both the Sharks and North Fremantle Amateur Football Club. He also held coaching positions with the Brisbane Lions and Winning Edge Academy and has been coach of Aquinas College for the past four years and prior to that was a midfield coach at Wesley for three years. “The fact we have a home base for the playing group, the coaching group and for the footy club entirely is critical,” Woewodin said. “I tip my hat to the footy club in what they have been able to achieve over the three years they were away from home and having to move everywhere.. “This is really exciting, a new chapter of stability, consistency and continuity. I get to work alongside Adrian, who I played with in the mid-90s. “I have loved my coaching and now I am going to throw myself a new challenge and get into the operational side of things and work closely with our talent pathway and senior group and Bill and have a successful 2025.” Woewodin’s predecessor in the role Bromage replaced former CEO Addy Wetzler earlier this month. Wetzler stood down by “mutual agreement” with the club’s board, less than 12 months after taking on the role. The Sharks are set to begin their first pre-season at their Moss Street base in three years on November 25 after the State Government kered an end to a stalemate between the Sharks and the City of East Fremantle. The Sharks still have to work through elements of the licensing agreement. Bromage said the appointments were “critical”. “Shane’s extensive background, both as an AFL player and as a coach, makes him the ideal candidate to take on this role. His leadership will strengthen our football department and help propel us towards our goals,” Bromage said. Originally from country Victoria, Bromage played 50 games with East Frematnle from 1996-1998, winning the Sandover and Simpson Medal double in his final season, snaring best-afield honours in the Sharks grand final victory over West Perth. He has had a rapid rise at East Fremantle, only joining the Sharks in September following a stint as development manager with AFL Victoria, where he worked in coaching, club and league development, talent identification, academies, and diversity initiatives. “It’s an incredible feeling to return to the club that gave me so many opportunities and fond memories as a player,” Bromage said. Stewart rates East Fremantle’s 25-year drought-breaking flag in 2023 as a highlight of nearly two decades at the helm, as well as this year’s reserves premiership, the Colts’ 2010 title, the founding of the WAFLW competition in 2019, and the Sharks winning last year’s WAFLW premiership. He led several pivotal initiatives during his long stint, including the establishment of the Future Fund, a financial reserve that has supported the club’s stability and growth. He leaves just as the Sharks finally signed off on a $34 million redevelopment, a rebuild that was plagued by protacted disputes with the local council.