Fremantle are set to become the second AFL club to honour the Sir Doug Nicholls and AFLW Indigenous Rounds by changing its name to the traditional Indigenous name of the area.
During the two rounds, Fremantle will become the Walyalup Football Club and this season will face Melbourne, who were renamed as Narrm Football Club from 2022.
It will see Walyalup face Naarm at the MCG on Saturday May 27 during Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
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In Round 10, Walyalup will play Geelong at Optus Stadium as the second week of the annual round.
A new logo was designed by life member and Next Generation Academy coach Roger Hayden, who played 128 matches for the club.
Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick revealed the change and said it had been a move two years in the making.
“Walyalup is the Noongar country in and around Fremantle, and similar to the lead of Melbourne Football Club renaming to Narrm last season, we will be referred to as Walyalup in 2023 … and fittingly we will face Narrm at the MCG on 27 May to kick off National Reconciliation Week,” Garlick said.
“The Walyalup logo has been designed by past player and our current NGA Coach Roger Hayden, and tells of the Walyalup Creation Story.
“It will take over all of our channels in those weeks and our coaches will proudly wear the Walyalup Polos for these games.
“I want to thank Roger for his work creating the logo as well as a special thank you to our RAP External Advisory Group who have provided valuable guidance along the way.”
Hayden said he was proud to take part in creating the Walyalup Football Club.
“I’m really proud of Fremantle’s history, we’ve always had a strong culture of representing Indigenous players and who we are as a Club and I think this continues with what we’re doing now to rebrand as the Walyalup Football Club,” Hayden said.
“It’s about sharing our culture to the wider community, it’s fantastic and I’m really looking forward to seeing this unfold throughout the year and how it goes in the future.”
Walyalup is the traditional name of the land around Fremantle and has always been a significant place for the Whadjuk people, the traditional owners of the land.
The Whadjuk are one of 14 Nyoongar groups which make up south west Western Australia and Nyoongar name means “the place of walyo”.
Walyo are also known as kangaroo rat and were common in the area around Fremantle.
