Western Australia records surge in women and girls’ participation in football as AFLW clubs continue to invest

More girls than ever are picking up the football in Western Australia, with new figures obtained exclusively by The West Australian revealing a surge in participation over the past year.

The number of female players in Auskick programs rose by around five per cent, from 2478 to 2603, while community juniors also reported an uptick from 8432 to 8870.

That helped WA reach a record-high 16,790 women and girls in football programs across the state in 2025, an overall growth of around six per cent, according to WA Football.

The steady rise comes as the AFLW, now in its 10th and biggest season to date, continues to inspire the next generation of female sports stars to lace up their boots.

And with more girls than ever involved at grassroots level, the next challenge now becomes keeping them involved.

The Fremantle Dockers last week unveiled new AFLW and community facilities at the club’s Victor George Kailis Oval training base, including purpose-built, female-friendly changerooms.

The $7.4 million upgrade, which also featured a new 250-seat spectator terrace and a multipurpose education space, was co-funded by the Dockers, State Government, WA Football and the AFL.

Injured Fremantle forward Aine Tighe, who is also part of the club’s community department and a next generation academy coach, said the new facilities would go a long way to keeping players in the game and giving them greater opportunities to succeed.

“For those kids to be coming through and have access to elite facilities, and for them to feel like it’s their home and they’re welcome is going to be so important,” Tighe told The West Australian.

“Because the more kids we can keep involved and enjoying it, the better.”

Tighe, who has played for the Dockers since being plucked from Ireland in 2019, said it had been “incredible” to see the rise of women’s football in Australia.

“They (girls) now have that pathway to play all the way up, which is phenomenal,” she said.