I am doing some research for a book on WA grassroots footy and I need clarification on the years that the WAFL clubs were involved in host club or alignment deals.
I moved to Perth in 2006, so I don’t have much recollection of the original round of ‘host club arrangements’, but have found the following:
WCE
1999 - Claremont (as WCE Reserves)
2000-2001 - East Perth (hosting the WCE’s interstate recruits only)
2014-2016 - East Perth (as WCE Reserves)
Fremantle
1999 - South Fremantle (as Frem Reserves?)
2000-2001 ?
2014-2016 - Peel 2014-16 (as Fremantle Reserves)
Can the esteemed members of the BigFooty forum please confirm this for me. If I remember right, the deals lasted three years between 1999 and 2001, but, seeing as though it is going into a book, I want to make sure I get it correct.
Heard from a doyen of the Perth FC on the weekend that once the East Perth deal is up, WCE will be having their own stand alone reserves team, dockers to stay with spud peel, he reckons its a done deal.
Heard from a doyen of the Perth FC on the weekend that once the East Perth deal is up, WCE will be having their own stand alone reserves team, dockers to stay with spud peel, he reckons its a done deal.
Only lasted one year at SF - 1999 as a Host Club deal.
The full Host Club arrangement only lasted for one season - 1999.
In 1999 the WAFC launched a host club arrangement where all Fremantle players were aligned to South Fremantle and West Coast players with Claremont. South Fremantle coach Tony Micale was also a part of the Fremantle coaching team, attending all training sessions and football related meetings. South Fremantle won 15 games straight from April to August and won the second semi final before losing the grand final to West Perth.
A host club review conducted for the WAFC by Brian Atkinson, John O’Connell and Alan East after the 1999 season concluded the arrangement was a “… significant and serious impost on the integrity of the WAFL competition.” The system was watered down slightly in 2000 and 2001 with only interstate recruits being required to play for the host club. East Perth, now under Micale, became West Coast’s host club and won consecutive premierships, beating Fremantle’s host club South Fremantle in the 2001 grand final. The system was abandoned in 2002 and East Perth again won the premiership.
That prelim win against the royal eagles that year was very special Grassy, it was pay back for the year before for starters and ending their reign of terror was also special, we belted them that day, and of course went on to win the GF.
Week after,you got the Flag in Freezing Conditions.The Day before,it was over 30 degrees.Phew!
But was that the last year of the Host Club Scam I,or was it 2002?
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2001 was the last year of the The host club. Before the 2002 year started all the clubs put the pressure on to have it ended. all eagles and dockers players were reallocated. As I remember eagles players were.allocated between east perth,west perth,subi and swans.Dockers were allocated between peel,claremont souths,easts and perth.east perth went on to win the 2002 premiership with a handful of eagles.including brent tuckey,jeremy humm,dean buszan and local product Michael prior.