WAFL games heading to the countryWednesday, July 12, 2017 - 8:50 AM

West Australian Football League games will be played in Esperance and Busselton over the next two weekends in partnership with the Department of Sport and Recreation and State Government’s Country Sports Enrichment Scheme (CSES).
 
Esperance will host the Round 17 League fixture between Subiaco and Claremont and Busselton will host the Round 18 League fixture between East Perth and South Fremantle.

Round 17 – Saturday, July 15
Subiaco v Claremont
Esperance
1.10pm at Ports Football Club hosted by the Esperance District Football Association. The game will be the fourth WAFL fixture played in Esperance. Previous games have been played between West Perth and Peel Thunder (2000), Subiaco and Peel Thunder (2005) and Subiaco and South Fremantle (2011).

Round 18 – Saturday, July 22
East Perth v South Fremantle
Busselton
2.15pm at Sir Stewart Bovell Park hosted by the South West Football League. The game will be the second WAFL fixture played in Busselton. The previous game on March 22, 2003 saw East Perth and Swan Districts draw in a night game.

WAFC Executive Manager Football Operations Jon Haines thanked the Esperance District Football Association, Ports Football Club, the South West Football League and Busselton Football Club for agreeing to host the games, as well as the WAFL clubs for continuing their commitment to regional communities.
 
“These games present a great opportunity for the WAFL clubs to connect with their regions and give something back to the communities where many of their players start their football careers. Country WA has a proud history of developing some of the game’s top talent so it’s vital we keep engaging with these communities.
 
“The Country Sports Enrichment Scheme is a fantastic initiative and I thank the Department of Sport and Recreation and the West Australian Government for their
support, so that we can provide an opportunity for regional fans to see WAFL games in their own backyard,” Haines said.
 
There have been 53 WAFL games played with CSES funding since the scheme commenced in 1999 and over $1.3 million contributed to the program during that time.
 
Overall, 71 WAFL games have been played in country WA since 1984, providing 22 years of consecutive service to regional WA.

Photo: Ports Oval in Esperance.