Australian rules football in Western Australia

Australian rules football in Western Australia
Western Derby West Coast vs Fremantle at Subiaco Oval in 2008
Governing body	West Australian Football Commission
Representative team	Western Australia
First played	Perth Melbourne 19 September 1868; 155 years ago (19 September 1868)
Registered players	95,407 (2023)[1]
Clubs	236 (28 competitions)[2]
Club competitions
West Australian Football League Sunday Football League Western Australian Amateur Football League West Australian Country Football League Goldfields Football League West Kimberley Football Association Peel Football League Mortlock Football League
Audience records
Single match	61,118 (2021). 2021 AFL Grand Final. Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs. (Optus Stadium, Perth)

Australian rules football is the most popular sport in Western Australia (WA). There are 29 regional club competitions, the highest profile of which is the semi-professional West Australian Football League. It is governed by the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC). With more than 95,000 registered adult players, it has the second largest of any jurisdiction, accounting for almost a fifth of players nationally and growing faster than any other state.

Matches were played in the Colony of Western Australia from 1868, however rugby union there became more popular and Australian rules was not fully established until the 1880s when existing rugby clubs began to switch codes. Following the Federation of Australia, courtesy of pioneering junior and schools programs the sport grew faster there than any other state. For much of the 20th century the West Australian Football League (WAFL) was the third strongest state competition in the country. In 1967 the WAFL set a record season attendance of 960,169 and the 1981 WAFL Grand Final was attended by 55,517. Even with its current semi-professional status, it remains the third most popular competition in the world for the sport.

The state is home to two fully professional Australian Football League (AFL) clubs both owned by the WAFC: West Coast Eagles (1986) and Fremantle Football Club (1994), the former having the distinction of being the first non-Victorian team to compete in and win an AFL Grand Final in 1992. The two teams compete against each other in the Western Derby. The combined membership of the two clubs is more than 150,000, making Western Australia second only to Victoria in terms of support for the national club competition. Since 2020 West Coast has had the highest membership and fastest membership growth in the AFL and is the league's most profitable and equal highest revenue generating club. With the AFL's growth in popularity, Western Australia has been speculated as having the potential to sustain a third club.^[3][4][5] WA produces the second most professional players for the AFL, with more than 100 current players, though the majority play for clubs in other states.

It is the most watched sport and has the third largest audience in the country. Its television viewership continues to grow strongly and its average AFL attendances are the second highest nationally.^[6] Both the AFL and the WAFL attract a significant television audience. Since 1991 it has attracted an average AFL premiership season attendance of 34,462, third in the country. As at 2022 this average attendance sits at 45,921 the second highest, boosted with the 2018 completion of Perth Stadium the state's flagship venue. While the AFL has far surpassed it in popularity, the WAFL also attracts around 200,000 fans through the gates each year as well as a significant television audience.

The state team (known as the "Black Swans" or "Sandgropers") played Interstate matches against other Australian states and Territories between 1904 and 1998 and has defeated every state and territory. They were declared national men's champions in 1921, 1961 and 1979 and was the most successful state during the State of Origin era (1977–1999) with a total of 4 titles. Brian Peake has the most caps and was the longest serving captain of the State of Origin team. The underage men's team has competed between 1976 and the present and were champions in 1999, 2007 and 2019 and the underage women's competing since 2010 were champions in 2014. Western Australia has the second most national titles after Victoria across all divisions.

Three West Australians have been named Australian Football Hall of Fame legends: Graham 'Polly' Farmer, Barry Cable and Merv McIntosh. Lance Franklin holds the AFL games record and goals record for a Western Australian, with 354 and 1,066 respectively. Kiara Bowers is arguably the state's greatest female player being four time All-Australian and the first to win the AFL Women's best and fairest. Gemma Houghton has kicked the most goals, while Emma King has played the most games for born and raised West Australians in the AFL Women's competition.