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More than 150 student placements over five years, more than 50 alumni who have worked at the club and more than 25 research projects: Curtin’s partnership with the Fremantle Dockers gives our community plenty to cheer about.

As Fremantle gets ready for the 2026 Toyota AFL Grand Final, we’re celebrating a connection 11 years in the making – and looking toward a future of creating many more opportunities together.

Since 2015, not only have our students been immersed in the club’s behind-the-scenes operations, but the Fremantle Dockers have benefited from our research, expertise and facilities. We’ve seen this partnership help launch careers, support women in sport and introduce thousands of international students to their first game of Australian football.

The Grand Final is a moment to celebrate that shared history – and the people who continue to build it.

A partnership that opens doors

Over just the past five years, we’ve seen more than 150 work-integrated learning placements take place at Fremantle. Our students have helped shape the club, stepping into placements – from exercise science and architecture to multimedia and business – and gaining real-world experience with the guidance of the people who keep it running.

Commerce student Holly is one of them. During her three-month marketing internship with Fremantle she created content, organised interviews with players and led meetings, helping her put her studies into practice.

Those first steps can become lasting connections. More than 50 Curtin alumni have gone on to work at the club, some after starting as interns. Their contribution reflects the range of skills a sporting organisation needs to be the best – from communicating with fans to understanding athlete performance.

Sharing knowledge and expertise

Research is another important part of the relationship. More than 25 supervised projects across data science and exercise science have connected Curtin expertise with practical questions for Fremantle.

For the club, these collaborations bring new perspectives to the challenges of elite sport. For Curtin students and researchers, they offer a chance to apply their expertise in a professional sporting environment.

Curtin graduate Trent Picciacco’s experience is just one example. Working with Fremantle and the Kookaburras, he used data and machine learning to analyse athlete performance, gaining experience that helped prepare him for his career.

Curtin connections in purple

The ties between Curtin and Fremantle also run through the people fans see on the field and hear around the ground.

Among them is Andrew Brayshaw, who was studying Commerce at Curtin when he was named one of the university’s Sport Stars of the Year in 2022. The award recognised his sporting achievements alongside his studies – a connection that gives the Curtin community another reason to cheer him on in purple.

In AFLW, Curtin alumna Hayley Miller pursued her football career alongside her physiotherapy studies and was named the Vice-Chancellor’s Elite Athlete Alumni Inductee in 2022. Madeleine Scanlon was completing honours in Marine and Coastal Science when Fremantle drafted her in 2022.

And at Optus Stadium, commerce graduate and broadcaster Pete Curulli helps bring fans into the action as a Fremantle match-day MC.

Together, they’re part of a wider community whose experiences span university life and football.

Bringing people together

For thousands of Curtin students, this partnership has also offered a memorable introduction to life in Western Australia.

Since 2023, almost 3,000 international students from more than 57 countries have taken part in the International Student Game Day – a chance to experience a game of footy, soak up the atmosphere and share an afternoon in the stands with fellow students.

The relationship also creates opportunities to celebrate culture and share stories. In 2024, the Yoowarl Koorl showcase brought Curtin researchers and former Fremantle players together through podcasting, virtual reality, animation, language and storytelling. Projects featured Troy Cook, Alicia Janz, Dale Kickett and Jeff Farmer, bringing their experiences and perspectives to new audiences.

Our support for Fremantle’s AFLW team and sponsorship of the Power of Women in Sport events extends that community connection. In 2025, the events reached more than 300 students and more than 440 industry members. The 2026 schools event will bring the conversation to Curtin’s Bentley campus in October.

This weekend, we’ll be cheering for Fremantle on football’s biggest stage.

After the final siren, there’s much more to look forward to: new opportunities, shared insights and the next chapter of a partnership that has already shaped so many careers.

Go Freo!