WA Football Hall of Fame Inducts First Female Monday, September 4, 2023 - 4:11 PM

REGARDED as a pioneer of Australian Rules Football for females, Jan Cooper OAM will become the first woman to be inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame this month.

Unable to play football growing up because competitions for females didn’t exist, Cooper eventually turned her attention to working in administration.

Cooper was appointed Female Football Development Manager at the WA Football Commission.

As part of her position, she played a major role in establishing female competitions in metropolitan and regional areas of the state, was a significant contributor in setting the strategic direction of the sport for females and removed barriers for female football in WA and nationally.

In addition, Cooper developed the female talent pathway program in this state, which saw the emergence of the WA State 16s-18s programs and competitions.

Cooper also helped pave the way for the introduction of the AFLW competition in 2017.

She created the first ever Women’s International Cup, bringing female teams from other countries to Australia, and she introduced Female National Exhibition games.

Cooper’s involvement with the West Coast Eagles AFLW side earned her the honour of being named the club’s number one ticketholder in 2021.

Her work has inspired a generation of female players, coaches, umpires, and administrators.

Cooper’s commitment to gender equality and diversity in the sport has been combined with mentoring young players and sharing her knowledge to help the next generation of female footballers.

The other football identities who will be inducted include Claremont champion Phil Krakouer, Richmond premiership hero Alex Rance and dual Sandover Medallist Allistair Pickett.

Krakouer was blessed with elite skills and dazzling speed during his WAFL/VFL/AFL career, which spanned more than a decade.

Joining Claremont in the WAFL and making his League debut in 1978, Phil’s near faultless ball-handling, acceleration, and goal sense soon made him a key player as a half forward flanker or wingman.

In 1981, he was one his side’s best players in the Grand Final against South Fremantle as Claremont claimed their first premiership since 1964.

Alongside his brother Jim, they developed into one of the most exciting and skilful partnerships in WA football history, with the pair having an uncanny knack of passing the ball to each other.

The brothers, who were dubbed “Krakouer Magic”, left Claremont to play with North Melbourne in 1982.

Phil developed into a star of the competition, playing 141 games for the Kangaroos and was the club’s leading goalkicker on three occasions.

Widely regarded as the premier full-back of his generation, Alex Rance possessed all the attributes to nullify the AFL’s premier key forwards. 

Standing 194cm and weighing 96kgs, Rance’s size and power made him a commanding presence in the Richmond back-line for more than a decade, earning five All-Australian jumpers during his 200-game AFL career. 

Rance was born in Perth with a football pedigree, his father Murray a champion with Swan Districts, Footscray and the West Coast Eagles. 

He was selected by Richmond with the club’s second selection and 18th overall at the 2007 AFL National Draft from Swan Districts. 

In 2015, he confirmed his standing at the Tigers by winning the Jack Dyer Medal, the club’s best and fairest player. 

Rance was a key player in Richmond’s drought breaking premiership in 2017, finishing runner-up in the club champion award behind Brownlow Medallist Dustin Martin. 

But he missed the Tigers 2019 Grand Final victory over Greater Western Sydney after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in Round 1 of that year against Carlton. 

On the verge of his eagerly awaited comeback Rance shocked the football world in December 2019 by announcing his retirement at the age of 30. 

Allistair Pickett was a dynamic and highly skilled rover who played a leading role in Subiaco’s golden era in the WAFL during the first decade of this century. 

Having switched from West Perth to Peel Thunder in 2001 at the age of 28, Pickett quickly established himself as an elite WAFL player, claiming the club’s first Sandover Medal in 2002. 

After moving to live in Perth’s northern suburbs in 2003, Pickett joined his old Peel coach and mentor Peter German at Subiaco, and the most outstanding phase of his career was launched.

In winning the 2004 Sandover Medal, Pickett became the first and only player to win the WAFL’s highest individual honour at two clubs.

A diminutive figure at just 169cm, Pickett’s creativity and tenacity helped the Lions claim four flags between 2004 and 2008.

His outstanding durability enabled him to continue beyond his 38th birthday, playing his final WAFL league game in the 2011 Grand Final loss to Claremont.

In 2010, Allistair and his eldest son Alliston (Buddy) created history by becoming the first ever father/son combination to play in the same WAFL league match.