Willetton Football Club heads into 2026 marking a major milestone—50 years of football, community, and resilience. Over that time, the Blues have built a reputation defined not only by success on the field but by the people and culture that have sustained them across generations. 

Formed in 1976 through the merger of Riverton’s senior side and the Willetton Junior Football & Sports Club, Willetton has grown into one of the most respected and enduring clubs in Perth’s amateur football landscape. 

Success came early for the Blues, claiming its first premiership in the 1981 South Suburban Murray Football League Colts. That breakthrough laid the foundation for a culture that would see sustained success across multiple grades in the decades to follow.  

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Willetton added multiple premierships, with a long list of individual honours cementing the club’s reputation in the Perth Footballing community as a club capable of producing teams with a winning mentality.  

After a brief recess in 1999, Willetton re-emerged with renewed energy, immediately winning back-to-back premierships in E and D Grade. This sparked a new era of success, with the League and Colts sides combining for a further four flags between 2001 and 2007, including the League side reaching B Grade for the first time in the club’s history. 

Across its history, Willetton has built a legacy defined by depth, development, and inclusivity, with 22 premierships across all levels. The Colts program has been the heartbeat of the club, producing 11 flags and three champion club awards. The senior men’s teams have also enjoyed sustained success, with five reserve and four league premierships. 

For Club President Ben Haywood the biggest success in recent years has been the introduction of the integrated program in 2017 and the women’s program in 2020.  

“Those integrated and women’s sides have really added another layer to the club. It’s brought in new people, new energy, and it’s strengthened what was already a really strong culture.” 

The integrated side has delivered premiership success in 2021 and 2024, while the women’s program continues to grow and build toward its first flag. For Haywood, the focus remains on continuing to build a family atmosphere that draws so many to play for the Blues. 

“It’s a home away from home for a lot of people. When it’s full on a game day with everyone here, it’s really special.” 

Willetton’s future looks bright, with game day getting a big upgrade thanks to a $20 million redevelopment of the Willetton Sports Precinct, which will deliver new club facilities and upgrade surrounding infrastructure. 

“It’s a massive step forward for the club in making sure the club’s set up for the next 50 years,” Haywood said. 

Much of Willetton’s longevity can be attributed to its volunteer base and tight-knit community. Former and longest-serving Club President Jim Grace, who led the club from 2005 to 2012, described the club’s operation as built on shared responsibility rather than structure. 

“You get a network going—you just allocate responsibility, and suddenly people just appear and help. Most guys involved are family-based. That’s always been the strength of the club.” 

Grace first became involved in 2004 as team manager for his son’s Colts side before joining the general committee and being elected president the following year. His contribution to the club was formally recognised in 2012 when the Club Person Award was renamed the Jim Grace Award in his honour.  

“Doing it for 8 years, I loved it. Whether it was marking grounds, helping out or seeing premierships. And quite often, at the end of a home game, you’re the last guy to head off to the changing rooms. Everyone's jumping and bouncing around, it was satisfying, feeling like you’ve helped 120 guys have a game of footy that day.” 

Today, “Jimbo” can still be found around the clubrooms alongside Billy Jones and Rod Philp, affectionately referred to as Dad’s Army. For more than 20 years, they have turned up week in, week out—quietly helping the club run behind the scenes—embodying the spirit of Willetton Football Club and everything that defines community football. 

Out of the countless players to represent Willetton, several have helped define its identity both on and off the field. 

Doug Gibb stands as one of the club’s greatest players, with a record five League Best & Fairest awards and a Reserves Best & Fairest, a record that remains unmatched. 

Paul Kujawski’s influence spans generations, captaining the Colts to a premiership in 1985 before returning as a coach to guide the League team to back-to-back premierships in 1999 and 2000, and later adding a Colts coaching premiership in 2015. 

Willetton’s modern era has been defined by a group of players whose longevity and commitment have set new benchmarks for the club. Leading the way is Jason Walker, with the most games for the club, having played an incredible 383 games, and going on to take the Blues to a C1 reserves premiership in 2015 as coach.  

Raymond Reveley, David Myors, and Damian Chandler all recently broke well over 300 games and are still involved in helping the club develop further in various roles, a testament to the culture of the club. David Philp will soon be the fifth player in the club’s history to hit 300 games, continuing a strong family connection to the club through his father, Rod Philp. 

As Willetton Football Club celebrates 50 years, its story is ultimately defined less by individual moments of success and more by the people who have kept it running season after season. From long-serving volunteers and past presidents to modern players and emerging programs, the club’s strength has always come from within.  

With a major redevelopment on the horizon and a growing, more inclusive playing base, Willetton heads into its next chapter built on the same foundations that have carried it to this milestone—community, contribution, and a shared love of the game. 

Written By Oliver Mcfarland