Just one game in the country this season

Mount Barker will host the WAFL’s only country fixture this season after Claremont were approved this week to take their round-eight game against Swan Districts to the newly redeveloped Sounness Park.

The Tigers and Swans will play the first game at the new facility, which has been under construction since February 2013, on May 9 in a boost for the town which gave rise to the legendary Krakouer brothers Jim and Phil.

However, it is the only senior WAFL game which will be taken to a regional centre in 2015.

Since the creation of the State Government’s country sport enrichment scheme in 1999, 48 WAFL games have been played in regional WA.

WA Football Commission pathways and competitions general manager Steve Hargrave said the league was still committed to playing in country areas, but rising costs associated with reaching the far corners of WA meant the number of games played per year would vary.

“To ensure that the WAFC and WAFL clubs can continue to take WAFL contests to regional areas, it has been agreed with the Department of Sport and Recreation that the annual CSES funding is invested as required to meet travel and accommodation expenses for at least one game each season,” he said.

“This will ensure that the WAFC and WAFL clubs have greater flexibility in scheduling games that require airline flights and additional accommodation and that distance from Perth doesn’t mean communities are denied from seeing a WAFL game played in their backyard.”

Tigers general manager Dean Horsington said the club was looking forward to the fixture.

“Whenever we can do it, we want to play footy in our country zones,” he said. “They’ve been great breeding grounds for us at Claremont and the AFL, so wherever we can we want to put back in to that community.

“Our players will go out and do community camps as well, hopefully it will be a really good couple of days.”