Bunbury in Western Australia will become the newest location to feature an AFL game after North Melbourne confirmed a three-year deal to play two games in the west each season, with no more home games in Tasmania beyond 2025.
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North Melbourne chief executive Jennifer Watt declared the deal would provide “significant benefits to the Kangaroos” despite forcing heartland supporters to cross the country to watch their team.
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But the deal also includes two more home games in Melbourne from 2026 as the Kangaroos exit Tasmania completely ahead of the inclusion of the new team on the Apple Isle from 2028.
The agreement is for one match at Optus Stadium in Perth and one match at Hands Oval in Bunbury against WA sides West Coast and Fremantle for the next three seasons.
Hands Oval, which has recently undergone a multimillion-dollar refurbishment, is the flagship ground for the South West Football League in WA.
In 2025, North Melbourne will play West Coast in Bunbury in round 13 on Sunday, June 8 and Fremantle at Optus Stadium in round 14 on Saturday, June 14, with only two “home” matches in Tasmania, down from four in 2024, as part of the transition.
“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.”
North Melbourne football boss Todd Viney said Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson took his Hawthorn teams to premierships while playing home games on the road and could do the same again.
“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.
“We have always said that we want to be a team that can win games anywhere, any time and we have shown in the recent past that playing in Perth is a trip we embrace with two wins from our last three visits to Optus Stadium.
“We have a really passionate fan base in Western Australia and we have seen and heard those fans loudly and clearly in recent close matches at Optus Stadium.
“Our players will look forward to having them as home fans from next year onwards.”