1896: The First League Season Kicks Off
Today marks the 130th anniversary of arguably the most significant landmark in the history of West Australian football. In the mid-afternoon of Saturday May 30, 1896, 44 men representing four hastily-organised clubs commenced the first ever league season in this state. At the glamorous-in-name-only Polo Ground, opposite what the modern day Perth Oval, Perth BAFC […]
1896: Is It Not Possible To Form a Football Club
“An enthusiastic meeting of gentlemen devoted to the British Association game of football was held at the United Service Hotel last evening,” read ‘the Western Mail’ newspaper report of the mid-1896 gathering that signalled the birth of organised football in Perth. “The proceedings were of such an enthusiastic character as to encourage the hope that […]
Footballers at the Front: Elgar Hale
At around 4:30am on 25 April 1915, soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force began landing at what is now called Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula. For the vast majority of the 16,000 Australians and New Zealanders who landed that day, it was their first experience of combat. By that evening, 2,000 of them had […]
The Matildas in Perth
The Matildas have returned to Perth this week for the opening game of the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup. The 21st edition of Asia’s premier women’s tournament promises to be its biggest yet with a dozen nations calling Sydney, Perth and the Gold Coast home for next three weeks. Perth will host ten games commencing with […]
David Oldfield Recalls His Starring Role in the Manchester Derby
Perth-born David Oldfield was just 20 when he joined Manchester City from Luton Town in March 1989. An England Under-21 international forward, Oldfield was blessed with pace and an eye for goal and manager Mel Machin thought he’d be the perfect addition to his young, talented side. The Blues paid £600,000 for Oldfield who contributed […]
More British Than the People in Britain
Hot off the printing presses, The Coping Stone: the First English Soccer Tour of Australia 1925 tells the little-known but fascinating story of how the world game fought for survival – and acceptance – in early 20th-century Australia. In an exclusive courtesy of Fair Play Publishing, WA Over Yonder presents the England Football Association’s arrival […]
Country Week Kicks Off
Country Week is one of the most popular events on the local football calendar. The 2025 edition kicks off this week at Kingsway Sporting Complex where in excess of 1,300 footballers representing close to 100 teams from across Western Australia will converge in a week-long celebration of regional football. It will be a far cry […]
1975: Western Australia Crowned Women’s National Champions
Western Australia won its first women’s title by going undefeated at the 1975 National Championships in Brisbane. The youthful, sixteen-player Black Swans wrote themselves into the history books by sweeping all before them at the five-day tournament played at the inner-city suburbs of Bowen Hills and Annerley. Under the tutelage of coach Peter Dimopoulos, the […]
1950s Dream Team
The 1950s were a period of dramatic transformation for West Australian football. The pattern of immigration after World War II shifted from what had been predominantly an English and Scottish influx to one that included many southern Europeans escaping war-ravaged homelands. The outcome for West Australian football was a scene overflowing with players of exceptional […]
The Socceroos in Perth
The Socceroos are back in Perth for the second time in twelve months and seeking to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Australia’s men’s national team take on Japan on Thursday night, June 4, when victory can move them a step closer to a sixth successive appearance at the world’s biggest single-sport event. Local […]