Sharks to quit East Freo?

by WARREN HATELY

FREMANTLE mayor Peter Tagliaferri says informal talks have been held about moving East Fremantle Football Club back to its original home - Fremantle Oval - which it left in 1953.

"Every weekend there would be a game there," he said. "It would lift attendances." East Freo president Rex Townsend wasn't happy about insinuations the club was in bad shape.

Asked about the possibility of mergers or relocations, Mr Townsend said: "You'd better spit that first word out of your mouth because the club will never merge. Nothing has been discussed about relocation, and nothing will ever be discussed about mergers."

On moving to Fremantle Oval Mr Townsend said: "That's a huge possibility but when you look at the reality, three teams training on one oval would be very difficult." Dockers CEO Cameron Schwab agreed. "They'd have to train somewhere else," he said.

East Fremantle could share the oval just for home games and strike up an agreement with one of the universities or private schools for their training, he said.

Mr Tagliaferri implied East Fremantle council could carve up the team's ground for housing and then lower the annual funding of $150,000 in ratepayers' money. However, East Fremantle mayor Jim O'Neill told the Herald no one had contacted him. "I feel East Fremantle should stay in East Fremantle," he said.

Mr Schwab said: "I've said before that they need to do something. I've suggested a few times they need to get their heads together ... it's something that will happen eventually."

Mr Tagliaferri said: "If they continue on the path they are going, they're not going to exist. I believe it would be a strengthening of their identity and it goes back to their heritage. "If this proposal was to get some legs ... both councils and the football commission would look at the ground and put some money into it."

A revamped Freo Oval might attract pre-season AFL games and boost the local economy, he added.

WA Football Commission chairman Neale Fong said that although commissioner Ross Kelly had sat in on a meeting between the clubs, he believed no progress had been made.

"We're certainly not brokering any deals," he added.

From the Fremantle Herald

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