The Western Force will celebrate the Club’s 20th season anniversary at Saturday night’s clash with the ACT Brumbies in front of the Sea of Blue at HBF Park.
The Force were founded in 2005 and played the Brumbies in the Club’s first-ever game in Round 1 2006 roared on by a massive crowd of 37,037 supporters decked in blue at Subiaco Oval.
Saturday night’s match marks an opportunity to celebrate the Club’s history and some of the stars of that journey headlined by inaugural captain Nathan Sharpe, all-time most capped player Matt Hodgson, enigmatic try scorer Nick Cummins, 100-gamer Ian Prior, WA women’s rugby legend Rebecca Clough and many more who'll be in attendance.
It’s also a chance to celebrate the Force’s unique history from the massive early crowds at Subiaco Oval, to the 2007 and 2014 sides that came within a whisker of finals, to the 2017 side that played through adversity before being axed from Super Rugby and the ensuing 8,000-strong fan protest at Force HQ, the 2019 NRC-winning side to the current Simon Cron-led outfit chasing its own history.
The past players will be paraded pre-game on field at HBF Park from 5:25pm, while respected rugby commentator Mick Colliss reads a poem about the Club’s history.
The past players will form a guard of honour to welcome the competing teams as they run on to the field before the 5:35pm kick-off.
To mark the occasion, the Force are also providing an in-stadium gameday-only offer for fans to buy the side’s home and away jerseys for $99 for the first 99 purchases ($79 for juniors and $45 for toddlers).
The Force’s 2025 jersey celebrates the Club’s history with a replica of the original kit in the periwinkle blue, with black swan swoosh and gold player numbers.
As a special nod to the Force’s 20 years, both home and away jerseys include the player names of all 261 male players and 77 female players who’ve featured on field in the Club’s history prior to this season.
Force CEO Niamh O’Connor said: “Saturday’s game is the perfect occasion for the Force to celebrate our 20-year history underlined by the spirit of Western Australia.
“This club was built on community connection and has survived with the true essence of WA: grit, resilience and a relentless pursuit of excellence. We never back down.
“We’re thrilled to have so many of our past players able to come across to Perth for Saturday night’s game. To cap the occasion, we want as many of our fans from across the 20 years to come out and celebrate. This is the game not to miss.”
Tickets are available for Saturday night’s game via Ticketmaster from $30 for adults and $15 for juniors.
Game details
Western Force vs ACT Brumbies
Saturday 10 May, 5:35pm WST
HBF Park, Perth
Live on Stan Sport & 9GEM
PRE-GAME TIMINGS BREAKDOWN
4:05pm Gates open
4:50pm Coin toss
4:55pm Warm-up starts
5:25pm Poem by Mick Colliss & past players enter field
5:30pm Force hype song & fireworks
5:32pm Past players form guard of honour to welcome teams
5:35pm Kick-off
