West Coast to face North Melbourne in inaugural Bunbury ‘home’ game as WA fixtures revealed

North Melbourne will “host” West Coast in Bunbury early next June before it plays a second relocated home game against Fremantle a week later at Optus Stadium.

The Kangaroos will today confirm the will transfer two home games each year for the next three seasons in Perth which will provide financial relief for the club as well as fixture respite for the two WA teams.

The North Melbourne-West Coast game will be played at in round 13 on Sunday, June 8 at a revamped Hands Oval in Bunbury, before the Roos face the Dockers in round 14 on Saturday, June 14 at Optus Stadium. Both fixtures will be day games but times are not yet locked in.

The game at Optus Stadium will net North Melbourne about $1.2 million, with the State Government lifting the purse to more than $2 million for the South West clash that aligns with Tourism WA’s promotion of Jetstar’s direct flights between Melbourne and Busselton. The Roos will earn more than $6 million over the course of the deal.

Importantly, it gives the Dockers and Eagles an extra game in their home state and one less week of travel, offering welcome relief as the two WA clubs have been forced to pay an additional round trip over the past two years due to the introduction of Gather Round in South Australia.

The Bunbury game will be played on Victoria’s June long weekend, which the WA Government hopes will drive tourism to the South West.

North Melbourne has now taken the first big step in securing its post-Tasmania future with the two games in WA from next season and another two returning to its AFL heartland from 2026 when they will play nine home matches at Marvel Stadium.

The club will begin its transition out of Tasmania in 2025, hosting two AFL matches – down from four in 2024 – and two AFLW home games in Tasmania across the year as part of the club’s pre-existing agreement.

North Melbourne’s AFL team will completely exit Tasmania at the end of 2025.

Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick welcomed the extra WA game, with the Dockers and Eagles to alternate trips to Bunbury across the next three years.

“Not only does it bring more footy content to WA but it allows the WA clubs to travel on eless game each year, which is significant,” Garlick said.

Eagles CEO Don Pyke has worked closely with Garlick over the past 12 months to address the fixture imbalance.

“Bringing an AFL game to regional WA is a terrific initiative and we’re looking forward to building the occasion and atmosphere around the match next season,” Pyke said.

“Our desire all along in competitive balance discussions with the AFL has been to address the inequities in the fixture and reduce the WA clubs’ travel. This is a big step forward following those discussions and a win for WA football.”

Fremantle flew 62,000km this sesaon, while the Eagles jetted about 58,000km. Some Victorian clubs travelled less than 15,000km.

North Melbourne CEO Jennifer Watt said the Western Australia agreement will provide significant benefits to the Kangaroos.

“This is a great outcome for the club in that we are able to bring two games back to our Melbourne heartland supporters while securing our financial future,” Watt said.

“The club began planning for our post-Tasmania future once Tasmania was granted an AFL licence. Having explored a number of options, this three-year agreement stood alone in delivering multiple benefits to the club, our members and supporters.

“North Melbourne will always be our forever home, and enhancing our facilities and expanding our footprint within the Arden Precinct will always be at the heart of our long-term strategy.

“From a financial perspective, this opportunity in Western Australia will go a long way to ensuring we can continue to do that alongside fully funded football departments.

“Underpinning the club’s finances also enables us to refocus and invest in talent identification and fan development in our Next Generation Academies.

“We are a club with a long, proud history of challenging the status quo and we see this opportunity as another significant moment in our history.”

Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said the fixtures were a “major coup for our tourism and hospitality industry, our South West region and our local sporting community”.

“It’s also a fantastic outcome for the members and supporters of WA’s two AFL clubs,” Saffioti said.

“The Kangaroos come with an established fan base willing to travel to support their team, and by hosting a home game in Bunbury on a Victorian long weekend with direct flights available from Melbourne, we expect to see a great economic boost for our South West tourism sector.”

North Melbourne general manager of football Todd Viney reminded supporters that coach Alastair Clarkson was no stranger to coaching teams who thrived while playing in a secondary market.

“Clarko’s great Hawthorn era was built while playing four games in Tasmania so we see no reason why we can’t do the same here at North Melbourne,” Viney said.

Early planning is underway for temporary seating to be added around the northern end of Hands Oval, which has just had the final touches put on a $17.5 million redevelopment, featuring a new grandstand, coaches boxes and a media centre.

The venue has previously hosted three pre-season matches, a West Coast-Adelaide clash in 1991 and Fremantle games against Carlton in 2009 and the Western Bulldogs in 2011.

The 2009 clash with the Blues drew a ground-record crowd of 10,000. It has also twice hosted Western Australia’s one-day team.

THE GAMES

• Round 13

North Melbourne v West Coast, Bunbury, Sunday, June 8

• Round 14

North Melbourne v Fremantle, Optus Stadium, Saturday, June 14