West Coast will play a historic match for premiership points in Bunbury next season with the Eagles to face North Melbourne in round 13 at Hands Oval on Sunday, June 8.
The WA Government and North Melbourne confirmed on Wednesday that the Kangaroos will play two ‘home’ matches per season against the West Australian clubs for the next three years.
North Melbourne will host one match at Hands Oval and Optus Stadium each season, with West Coast and Fremantle alternating between the venues over the three years.
“Playing another game in WA for the next three seasons is a positive outcome for the club,” West Coast Eagles CEO Don Pyke said
“We are excited by the opportunity presented to have a further fixture here in WA, and to be able to engage with our passionate members and supporters in the South West region.
“Bringing an AFL game to regional WA is a terrific initiative and we’re looking forward to building the occasion and atmosphere around the match next season.
“Our desire all along in competitive balance discussions with the AFL has been to address the inequities in the fixture and reduce the WA clubs’ travel. This is a big step forward following those discussions and a win for WA football.
“We will continue engaging the AFL around this issue and thank them, the State government, North Melbourne and Fremantle for working together to achieve a positive outcome for all involved.”
Hands Oval will become the fourth WA venue to host a West Coast AFL premiership season match - alongside Subiaco Oval, the WACA and Optus Stadium – and first outside the metropolitan area.
The Eagles’ only previous match at Hands Oval was a pre-season clash against Adelaide in 1991.
The full fixture for 2025 will be revealed on Thursday at 10am AWST.