Perth Glory has recently announced they will be entering into a partnership arrangement with local WAFL club South Fremantle, which will see the club relocate to the Fremantle Community Bank Oval.
Working in conjunction with the City of Fremantle, the two clubs will share facilities, including a gym, changing rooms, medical and physio services.
According to a media release from the South Fremantle Football Club, the shared-use arrangements will be in place for several months whilst the City of Fremantle prepare to accommodate the full Perth Glory organisation in the old Dockers building/current Council offices on a mid-term lease basis.
The South Fremantle CEO Cameron Britt had this to say about the arrival of Glory in the Port City.
“The Perth Glory are a proud A-League Club, with strong traditions and a big local following.
“We have been an advocate for their relocation to Fremantle, as it assists our Club’s commercial sustainability along with further strengthening the call for priority investment to improve and upgrade the Oval precinct.”
Perth Glory CEO Tony Pignata said that the move is unlikely to see W-League games at the venue and that the club was still pursuing a venue for the 2021/22 season.
“We could potentially play there (Fremantle), but the move is more beneficial from the training and gym facilities for the W-League squad,” he said.
Pignata also suggested it was unlikely that any doubleheaders with the A-League team would be played at HBF Park in the upcoming season as the logistics involved were complex, but he didn’t rule the possibility out entirely, particularly if there was an appetite for the games from new broadcast partners Network 10 and Paramount+.
When asked about the likelihood of W-League games being played at the eagerly anticipated State Football Centre (due for completion in 2023), Pignata was slightly reticent, suggesting that the facility may not be up to the standards required. But he suggested the club would be comfortable playing there if that were not the case.
This move should see a significant improvement for the W-League squad in terms of its ability to prepare more thoroughly, and by aligning with a club that has a strong female presence in the local WAFL competition, it’s to be hoped the players will benefit from being in surroundings geared towards catering for the needs of female athletes.
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