Fremantle Dockers: Record financial year off the field as club turnover hits $83.6m

The Fremantle Dockers may have missed out on a run at the AFL flag last year but they’re kicking plenty of goals off the field, reporting the highest turnover in the club’s history and fast closing in on WA rivals the West Coast Eagles.

The Dockers on Monday revealed that record-day ticket sales and corporate hospitality revenue drove turnover 11.3 per cent higher to $83.6 million in the financial year to the end of October.

That’s up 26 per cent since the AFL returned to normality after the disruptions of COVID-19 and puts the Dockers in the top echelon of clubs by revenue, bettering well-established Melbourne clubs such as Geelong ($82.6m) and Hawthorn ($67.8m).

The purple army also put the club among the top‑three AFL league ranking for average home‑game attendance during the 2025 AFL season behind only Collingwood and Carlton.

The Dockers’ operating profit came in at $550,000 after the club paid an increased royalty of $1.51m to its licence-holder, the WA Football Commission. The result excluded $1.98m of development revenue received from the State Government, the AFL, and WA Football to support he expansion of its training and administration facility at Cockburn Central.

The profit was down from the previous year’s $675,042 because of rising football and administration costs but still marked a fifth-consecutive year in the black for the club.

Fremantle president Chris Sutherland said achieving sustained profits was a core focus of the strategic plan it drew up five years ago.

“Importantly, these results ensure the club is well positioned to pursue sustained on‑field success across both programs, while remaining financially strong, and provide a platform for further investment into the future,” he said.

The club’s results come a week after the West Coast Eagles emerged from their worst-ever AFL season with a better profit, despite weaker merchandise and sponsorship sales.

The tax-exempt company behind the Eagles more than doubled its profit to $1.6m in the 12 months to October 31 from just short of $676,000 a year earlier.

There was some financial impact from the poor on-field performances, with sponsorship revenue dipping 10 per cent to $9.2m and merchandise takings falling 7 per cent to $2.9m - still above the Dockers’ increased $2.6m.

However, increased membership income (up 5 per cent to $29.5m vs the Dockers’ $21.9m) and better corporate hospitality revenue (up 1.3 per cent to $13.04m vs the Dockers’ $7.2m)) helped lift the Eagles revenue to $96.81m, though the growth of 4.5 per cent was less than half of the Dockers’ growth rate.

The Dockers’ annual report shows the club’s football department outspent the Eagles for the year, outlaying $37.6m, up 11.2 per cent, to their rival’s $37.3m. The Eagles’ administration costs were considerably higher at $19.2m, against $12.8m for Fremantle.