Pressure on Freo to dump sponsor as skipper, top Aussie band speak out
Updated . First published
Fremantle captain Alex Pearce has backed supporters who are pressuring the Dockers to cut ties with major sponsor Woodside.
Woodside, an oil and gas titan based in Western Australia, is a prominent jersey sponsor and has partnered the club since 2010.
The sponsorship is on the front of Fremantle’s home guernsey. Getty
Speaking at the Global Citizen NOW: Perth event on Monday in front of 200 people, Pearce responded to a curly question asked by St Kilda AFLW star Nicola Barr, who was moderating the event.
“How much of a say do you think players should have when a sponsor’s values don’t line up with your own?” she asked.
The veteran defender, who injured his Achilles during the heartbreaking grand final loss to Brisbane, did not shy away from the question.
“I’m not sure why I’ve gotten this question,” Pearce laughed in response.
“Look, I’m really glad that this is a hard question to answer, and I’m really glad that it’s a topic that’s discussed, and it’s controversial because I think it does show that within the community, we can have influence on who sponsors our teams and who sponsors different areas within our community.
“Often these decisions are made at boardroom level and are out of our hands and are out of the fans and members’ hands.
“But we’ve seen plenty of instances where public opinion has been able to affect change, and ultimately the boardrooms and the presidents who run our sporting organisations and our community areas are serving the members and fans and players and those that are taking part.
“So we do, as fans, players, leaders, have influence in some of these decisions. Sometimes it’s hard, and we have to use that influence in different ways.
“But the fact that I’m up here getting asked that question, it’s a little bit uncomfortable, but I think is a great thing, and as I said, it shows that no matter how big that influence is, no matter who you are as a stakeholder, you can have influence in what goes into funding our sports and our community programs.”
The pressure on the Dockers to ditch Woodside has been amplified by the club’s No.1 ticket holder and Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker’s condemnation of the company.
Parker often wears Fremantle kit when performing, but will put tape over the Woodside logo.
Pearce and Parker are close friends and share similar views on the matter. Parker has not been shy in voicing his opinions on politics and climate change over the years.
Tame Impala is currently touring the country and has a booth at their concerts for fans to sign a petition targeting the nation’s gas industry.
A petition released in 2023 pushing Fremantle to ditch Woodside as a sponsor received 8000 signatures at the time. The Dockers opted to renew the deal at the end of that year regardless.
Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker tapes over the Woodside logo on his Freo shirt. Getty
Former Freo player and life member Dale Kickett was among a high-profile group of supporters who wrote an open letter to the club asking them to end the sponsorship in 2022.
“The duty of the board and executive is to listen to stakeholders, give things due consideration, maintain balance and make the best decision for the club, at the right time,” a club spokesperson said at the time.
Pearce, meanwhile, has never been afraid to voice his opinion, even if it causes some controversy.
In 2025, he received both praise and scrutiny from sharing a post from the band Kneecap, condemning Israel’s attacks on Palestine.
Fremantle is also one of just five teams in the AFL to have a gambling organisation as a sponsorship partner. They have two in TABTouch and Crown.
Brisbane, Gold Coast, GWS and West Coast are the other four teams. Every NRL team meanwhile has a gambling sponsor, with seven having uniform branding.
Every AFL and NRL club had alcohol brand sponsorships in 2026.
