WA Football Strategic Facilities Plan - Half-Time ReportFriday, August 1, 2025 - 1:08 PM

WA Football is proud to announce the positive progress and achievements over the first half of our decade-long Strategic Facilities Plan.

WA Football’s Strategic Facilities Plan Half-Time Report details what has been achieved over the first five years of the plan as well as lessons learned, updated targets and planning and goals for the next five years.

Since 2020 there’s been significant improvements made to facilities across WA, highlighted by a 152 per cent increase in gender-neutral amenities, 89 per cent more umpire facilities, 87 per cent more playing fields with training-standard lighting and a 40 per cent rise in number of venues accessed.

With increases in participation and population rates, there continues to be further demand for football facilities and the need for further upgrades.

Participation in Women and Girls football has seen the most significant growth, with the number of female footballers up by a whopping 500 per cent in the past year alone. 

Overall in 2024, we had 50 leagues, 408 clubs and over 87,000 participants are accessing 483 venues across WA, with 1,452 games of community football delivered each weekend.

To achieve our participation goals in WA, continuing at our current growth rate, we will need the equivalent of 2,750 hours of access per week – which equates to 110 additional ovals.

Of the 200-plus projects WA Football is aware of in the pipeline, there is a funding shortfall of more than $500 million to see all projects completed.

WA Football CEO Michael Roberts said while he was excited to share the significant progress made across the first five years of the Strategic Facilities Plan, he knows there’s still plenty of work to do to keep kicking goals in the second half.

“The Half-Time Report reflects on the 2020-2030 Strategic Facilities Plan and what has been achieved to date and allows us to update and reshape the plan through to 2030, continuing to engage with key stakeholders to deliver necessary outcomes.

Shifting the dial with an increase of lit facilities and gender-neutral changerooms are among the highlights of the first half of our 2020-2030 Strategic Facilities Plan,” Roberts said.

“While we have seen significant improvement in football facilities across the State, there’s still plenty of work to do.

“We look forward to continuing our work with key stakeholders to reach our shared goals in the back half of the decade and further cement football’s place as the game for all Western Australians.”

You can view the full report here: Strategic Facilities Plan Half-Time Report