Fremantle - Sport

Sport

Global attention turned to Fremantle when it hosted the America's Cup yachting race in 1987, after Australia was the first country to ever win the race, aside from the USA, in 1983. The unsuccessful cup defence was conducted on the waters in Gage Roads, and is considered a hallmark event of the late 20th century revitalisation and gentrification of the city. Fremantle has subsequently served as a stopover in the Clipper, VELUX and Volvo round-the-world yacht races, and hosted the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, a major qualifying event for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Organised Australian rules football was first played in Fremantle in the early 1880s with the Fremantle Football Club, a founding member of the West Australian Football Association in 1885. The club disbanded at the end of the 1886 season after winning its first premiership. Founded in 1882, the Fremantle-based Unions Football Club entered WAFA in 1886, attracting many players from the original Fremantle club, and went on to dominate the competition with ten premiership victories. The Unions folded in 1899 and were superseded by East Fremantle (1898–), South Fremantle (1900–), and North Fremantle (1901–1915). The East Fremantle Sharks are by far the most successful club in the West Australian Football League, winning a total of 29 premierships. East Fremantle Oval has been the team's home ground since 1953. Today Fremantle is represented in the Australian Football League by the Fremantle Dockers, who train at the heritage-listed Fremantle Oval, shared with South Fremantle, and play their home matches at Patersons Stadium in Subiaco. The Dockers share a rivalry with the West Coast Eagles, and their best performance was in 2006 when they finished 3rd on the ladder, however they have yet to appear in a Grand Final.

Fremantle is represented in the Western Australian Grade Cricket competition by the Fremantle District Cricket Club, which was founded in 1887 and plays its home fixtures at Stevens Reserve, Fremantle. Fremantle Cricket Club has produced a number of Australian representatives including Graeme Wood, Brad Hogg, Geoff Marsh and sons Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh.

As in many other parts of Australia, Fremantle has seen a rise in popularity of association football (soccer) since the arrival of Southern European immigrants. In 1978, members of Fremantle's Portuguese Australian community founded Benfica United, now known as the Fremantle Spirit. The Fremantle Croatia Soccer Club is supported by local Croatian Australians. Both teams compete in the Football West State League.

The Fremantle to Bali Yacht Race started on 23 April 2011 and the yachts reached the finish line at Benoa harbour after completing their 1,440-nautical journey.