The
Fremantle Football Club (originally known as Unions and unrelated to either an earlier club and the current
AFL club of the same name) had won ten premierships in the fourteen years that they were in the
WA Football Association (now known as the West Australian Football League). By 1899, however, the club suffered from financial problems that caused the club to disband. The South Fremantle Football Club was formed to take their place following an application to the league by Griff John, who would be appointed secretary of the new club, with Tom O'Beirne the inaugural president. Most players, however, were from the defunct Fremantle club. The new club did well in its first year, finishing runners-up. However, over the next three seasons the performance fell away badly and, in April 1904 a Fremantle newspaper confidently reported that South Fremantle would not appear again. However, the club decided to carry on and centreman Harry Hodge took over as skipper, but the season was a disaster. The club won only one game. They won their first premiership in 1916 and went back-to-back in 1917, both times defeating their local rivals,
East Fremantle in the final and challenge final. The 1930s were not as successful, marred by the death of the 23-year-old captain-coach
Ron Doig as a result of injuries sustained in a match. After World War II, South experienced their greatest era, with the arrival of future Hall of Fame members
Steve Marsh,
Bernie Naylor,
John Todd and
Clive Lewington. Between 1945 and 1956 they would win six premierships, be runners-up three times and make the finals in every season. Since then, however, they have won seven more premierships, in 1970, 1980, 1997, 2005, 2009, 2020 and 2025. South Fremantle was the first WAFL club to have won 10 grand finals since World War II. Four of their 14 premierships were won against the club's traditional rivals, East Fremantle. The club completed a rare double in 2009, claiming both the league and reserves premierships. This was the first time the club had taken the Premiership double since 1954. In 2020 the club received a license to field a team in the
WAFL Women's league. On the 14th of March 2023, the club was fined $25,000, deducted 8 premiership points for season 2023, received a deduction amount to their TPP of $10,525 for 2023 as well as a reduction of 10 player points for 2023.
Fremantle Derby The Fremantle
Derby, is traditionally one of the biggest game of the year on the WAFL calendar. The derbies still have a great following but have decreased in importance compared to the
Western Derby, the match between WA's two AFL teams. The
Foundation Day derby on the first Monday in June (a public holiday to mark the Foundation of Western Australia in 1829) is commonly the highest attended game of the home and away season. To the end of the 2023 season the two clubs had met 389 times with South Fremantle winning 186 to East Fremantle's 199 wins, 4 Draws have occurred between the two sides. ==The club==