Sport is an important part of the culture of Western Australia.

Two separate important sports awards are given each year:

• The Western Australian Sports Star of the Year is an individual award made to a current sportsperson selected by a committee of sports writers from The West Australian and members of the Western Australian Sports Federation, and chaired by Ron Alexander, director-general of the Department of Sport and Recreation. The Western Australian Sports Star of the Year, currently known as The West Australian ANZ Sports Star of the Year, is an annual award for The West Australian (often simply called The West) is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth Western Australia, and is owned by Ron Alexander (born 10 December 1950 is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL and WAFL as well as a coach The award has been given since 1956.

• A second award, induction to the Western Australian Hall of Champions has been made since 1983 and honours a number of sportspeople who, as products of the Western Australian sporting system, have achieved the highest level of competition. In 1983 the Sportswriters' Association of Western Australia proposed a Western Australian Hall of Champions to honour past athletes from the state who had made a significant impact in Recipients must have been retired from open competition for at least five years. The selection committee includes several prominent sports identities and members of the Western Australian Institute of Sport. The Western Australian Institute of Sport (commonly known as WAIS) is an elite sports institute set up in 1983 by the Government of Western Australia to support athletes

Australian rules football

Main article: Australian rules football in Western Australia

Along with cricket, Australian Rules football is one of the main sports. Australian rules football in Western Australia is the most popular winter Sport in the state Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Western Australia has two teams in the Australian Football League (AFL): the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Football Club (the "Fremantle Dockers"). The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. Fremantle Football Club, unofficially nicknamed The Dockers and known informally as "Freo" is one of 16 teams in the Australian Football League (AFL The "home" of Australian Rules football in Perth is Subiaco Oval. Subiaco Oval, known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports Stadium in Perth, Western Australia. There is also a local West Australian Football League with nine clubs representing metropolitan regions. Current teams The teams currently playing in the WAFL are Salary Cap The WAFL is classed as a Semi-professional competition and has a Salary Australian rules football is the most popular football code in Western Australia with over 1,030,000 spectators attending WAFL and AFL matches in 2004^[1]. Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players

Cricket

Cricket is one of the main sports in Western Australia. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Western Australia has a state cricket team, the Retravision Western Warriors, based at the WACA Ground. The Western Warriors (referred to as Retravison Warriors for sponsorship reasons are an Australian first class cricket team based in Perth, Western Australia The WACA (pronounced wakka) is a sports Stadium in Perth Western Australia. They play in the Ford Ranger One Day Cup, the Pura Cup, and the Twenty20 Big Bash domestic competitions. The KFC Twenty20 Big Bash is the domestic Twenty20 Cricket competition in Australia. The WACA also hosts international Test and One Day International cricket matches. Test cricket is the longest form of the Sport of Cricket. It has long been considered the ultimate test of playing ability between cricketing nations Note Most of the information here pertains to men's cricket ODI matches are also played in Women's cricket.

Association Football (soccer)

Western Australia has a football (soccer) team, Perth Glory FC, which is a part of the newly re-formed national competition (first season in 2005-06) known as the A-League. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. The A-League is the premier Australasian domestic Association football competition In the past Perth Glory has been a relatively successful team by winning the last two NSL (National Soccer League) seasons (2002-03 & 2003-04). This page is on the former Australian soccer league For the former Canadian league see Canadian National Soccer League. Perth Glory's home games are played at Members Equity Stadium, although they have previously played semi and grand-finals at Subiaco Oval. Members Equity Stadium is a Sports stadium in Perth, Australia.

Rugby Union

Western Australia is the home of the Western Force, a new franchise in the Super 14 rugby union competition (formerly the Super 12 before the addition of the Force and a team in South Africa for the 2006 season). Western Force is a Rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super 14 competition The Super 14 is the largest Rugby union football club championship in the Southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland/Reds Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Their home ground is Subiaco Oval. Subiaco Oval, known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports Stadium in Perth, Western Australia.

Basketball

Western Australia has a team in the National Basketball League, the Perth Wildcats, who are one of the most successful teams in the league's history. The National Basketball League is Australia 's top-level professional Basketball competition History The 1980s Formed in 1982 as the Westate Wildcats, the Wildcats became the first and so far only Western Australian club to compete in the NBL However, the popularity of basketball as a spectator sport in Australia has sharply declined since the early 1990s. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m

Rugby League

See also: Western Reds

Western Australia's first rugby league team to play in a national competition were the Western Reds, who played in the 1995 and 1996 seasons of the Australian Rugby League. The 1995 Australian Rugby League premiership was the 88th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby The Australian Rugby League 's 1996 premiership was the 89th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the second to be run by the Australian The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia In 1997 they changed their name to the Perth Reds and joined the Super League as inaugural members. This article details the Super League half of 1997's split club competition This article details the year of rugby league run by Super League (Australia.

Despite showing some promise (particularly in the underage competitions) the Reds were not invited to join the National Rugby League in 1998 as part of the agreement to end the Super League war. 1998 saw the inaugural season of the reunited National Rugby League premiership the 91st season of professional Rugby league football in Australia This article details what is commonly referred to as the Super League war, which was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s by

In 2007 the Western Australia Rugby League re-formed the team as the WA Reds^[2]. The Western Australia Rugby League (WARL is responsible for administering the game of Rugby league in Western Australia They will compete in the Jim Beam Cup from 2008, with a view to entering the National Rugby League competition in 2012. Current Ladder History The Jim Beam Cup is the latest in a succession Sydney-based second tier semi-professional Rugby League competitions 2012 ( MMXII) will be a Leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[3] Their home ground is Members Equity Stadium. Members Equity Stadium is a Sports stadium in Perth, Australia.

Racing

Horse racing is very popular with race meeting every Saturday, fortnightly mid week meetings and weekly meetings at one of the major country centres. This article is about the sport For other uses see Horserace (drinking game or Horse race (politics. The Perth Cup is the premier race held each New Years Day at [[Ascot Racecourse, Western Australia|Ascot Racecourse]]. The Perth Cup is Western Australia 's premier Thoroughbred horse race and is held at Ascot Racecourse on New Year's Day each year New Year's Day is the first day of the Year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome (though The metropolitan tracks are Ascot Racecourse for the Spring and Summer months, Belmont Park is used for during wetter Autum and Winter months. Ascot Racecourse is an English racecourse located in the village of Ascot, Berkshire used for Thoroughbred horse racing. Belmont Park Western Australia is one of the two major horse racing venues within the Perth Western Australia metropolitan area the other being Ascot Racecourse

Harness racing is held all year round at Gloucester Park, with additional meeting in country areas. Harness racing is a form of Horse-racing in which the horses race in a specified gait Gloucester Park is a Harness racing course in Perth, Western Australia. Greyhound racing is at Cannington Raceway and Mandurah. Greyhound racing is the Sport of Racing Greyhounds The Dogs chase a lure (traditionally an artificial Hare or Rabbit Cannington is a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Canning. Mandurah is a city in Western Australia located approximately south of the state capital Perth, Western Australia.

Most country towns have a racecourse and have a major race day each year, these meeting are normally the centre piece of the communities activities, coinciding with other local events.

Tennis

Western Australia also hosts the annual Hopman Cup mixed tennis tournament at the Burswood Dome. The Hopman Cup is an annual international team Tennis Tournament founded by Paul McNamee and Charlie Fancutt, and held in Perth The Burswood Entertainment Complex is located on the Swan River some five minutes from the city of Perth Western Australia, and is owned by Crown Limited

Rally Racing

Telstra Rally Australia, which is a part of the World Rally Championship (WRC) was held each year on the gravel roads in the south-west jarrah forests as well as special stages held in central Perth at either Gloucester Park or on Langley Park. Rally Australia is an automobile rally event which was held in and around Perth, Western Australia between 1988 and 2006 History Early The World Rally Championship was formed from well-known international rallies nine of which were previously part of the International Championship Gloucester Park is a Harness racing course in Perth, Western Australia. Langley Park is an open space in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. The final running of the event in WA occurred in October 2006.

Golf

Normally at least one international golf tournament is held in WA each year, with the Johnnie Walker Classic at The Vines Resort & Country Club in Jan 2006 as part of both the European Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia. The Johnnie Walker Classic is a European Tour Golf tournament which is played in the Asia Pacific region The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional Golf tours in Europe the elite European Tour, the European The PGA Tour of Australasia is a professional Golf tour for men In past years international tournaments have also been held at the Karrinyup Country Club. The Heineken Classic was held in WA throughout the 1990s and was at times the richest tournament held in Australia. The Heineken Classic was a men's professional Golf tournament played in Australia from 1993 to 2005 as part of the PGA Tour of Australasia.

Hockey

Interestingly, Perth has the strongest regional (State/County/Province) field hockey competition in the world. There are many field hockey clubs for children, men, women and veterans (over 40 year of age). Western Australia (especially given it only has 10% of Australia's population) hugely contributes to the national Australian men's and ladies' hockey teams which have both been winners of Olympic Gold Medals.

Events

Perth also has and is currently home to numerous state and international sporting events such as:

The Perth leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series 2006.

• In 2011 Perth will host the ISAF Sailing World Championships at Fremantle. The ISAF Sailing World Championships are held every four years since 2003 for the sailing classes used in the Sailing at the Summer Olympics. Fremantle (commonly known as Freo is a Port City in Western Australia, located southwest of Perth, the state capital at the mouth of

• In 2006 the finals in the Red Bull Air Race World Series was the first ever in Australia and was held in Perth, with the competition being centred over Perth Water. The Red Bull Air Race World Series, established in 2003 and created by Red Bull, is an international series of air races in which competitors have to navigate a challenging ^[4]

• The Red Bull Air Race World Series 2007 finals were again held over Perth Water. The Red Bull Air Race World Series, established in 2003 and created by Red Bull, is an international series of air races in which competitors have to navigate a challenging Perth is contracted to host the finals again in 2008.

• In 2002, Perth hosted the World Lacrosse Games ^[5], which included the World Lacrosse Championships (won by the United States), the Australian Youth Lacrosse Championship, a Masters (35+ year old), Grandmasters (45+), and International Open Championships. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

• The 1991 and 1998 FINA World Championships were held in Perth. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The FINA World Championships or World Aquatics Championships are the World Championships for aquatic sports diving swimming open water swimming synchronized swimming

• Perth is also home to the annual Avon Descent whitewater event. The Avon Descent is an annual two-day white water event involving both paddle craft ( Kayaks surf skies and small motor boats Whitewater is formed in a Rapid, when a River 's gradient drops enough to disturb its Laminar flow and create Turbulence, i

• Perth hosts the Gravity Games, an international Surface Water Sports competition, annually in summer. Gravity Games is a multi-sport competition originating from Providence Rhode Island that is broken down into Winter and Summer adaptations The following is a list of surface water sports; these are sports which are performed atop a body of water

The Swan River's large surface area with expansive ski zones are used by many Surface Water Sports such as Skurfing, Wakeboarding, Kiteboarding, Skiing, Biscuiting for local, national and international events. The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. The following is a list of surface water sports; these are sports which are performed atop a body of water "Skurfing" has two common uses Surfboard Water-skiing In this instance skurfing is used to describe a popular surface watersport in which the participant Wakeboarding is a surface Water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water behind a boat Water skiing is a Sport where an individual (or more than one individual is pulled behind a Motor boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water wearing Tubing, also known as inner tubing or even toobing, is a recreational activity of riding an Inner tube, either on water Snow, or through

References