Subiaco Oval auction: Mementos to go under the hammer

Footy fans have a once in a lifetime chance to get their hands on a piece of AFL history, with items from Subiaco Oval to go under the hammer before the stadium is demolished.

​With the stadium earmarked for demolition the West Australian Football Commission wants to retain that history through its devoted footy fans. ​

And with football having been played at the ground since 1908, there’s a long history of memorabilia likely to go up for grabs.

From big WAFL grand finals in the 60s, 70s and 80s up until the more modern era of AFL football, it housed thousands of games in its time. ​

Now the commission will auction off some of the precious items related to those games - in a once in a lifetime sale. ​

“For a place that shares so many memories for so many generations of West Australians, to see bits and pieces of that being available for sale is a pretty unique thing,” the West Australian Football Commission’s Simon Moore-Couch told Today Tonight. ​

“​It’s a two-team town. Both teams are really passionate .... so we might see some Fremantle fans bidding against West Coast fans for the same sort of seats,”

Fan’s at the last Fremantle game ever played at Subi went to extreme lengths to steal a seat plank.

But now you don’t need to risk a criminal record to get your souvenir. Hundred of seats and benches dating back to 1981 will go under the hammer.​

Dave Croft from Ross’s Auctioneers and Valuers said they’ve looked in every nook and cranny to dig out iconic keepsakes, like the interchange benches that have held some very important derrières. ​

As for the money raised, it’ll go back to supporting grassroots football.

“That’s why the WA Football Commission exists, to support football from Kununurra in the north to Esperance in the south,” Mr Moore-Couch added.

“There’s a lot of memories at this place and I’m sure for a lot of West Australians they’ll be looking to get their piece of that when the auction happens.”