The cricket rivalry between Australia and England has been fiercely contested for almost 150 years. While the first Test match was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1877, the Ashes did not commence until 1882, when a single Test at London’s Oval was won by Australia. In the wake of that defeat, a mock obituary was published in the English newspaper The Sporting Times, announcing that English cricket had died and that “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.”
The Ashes trophy itself, permanently displayed at Lord’s Cricket Ground, is said to contain the remains of a burnt cricket bail housed in a tiny terracotta urn. It is never directly awarded to the winning team; instead, a replica is presented at the conclusion of each series.
Ashes contests between the two countries quickly became associated with the 1883 series played in Australia, when England’s captain, Ivo Bligh, vowed to “regain those ashes”. Accordingly, the English media reported the tour as a quest to “regain the Ashes”, and the name endured.
Nineteen years later, when the touring English team was returning to Britain via Fremantle, following an Ashes defeat in the 1901–02 season, local Association chairman Captain Robert J. White and secretary Alec Peters arranged for the cricketers — many of whom also excelled at football and played it during the off-season — to take on the Western Australian State football team in an unofficial “international” at Fremantle Oval. Thus, Ashes Football was born. While the match was likely treated as a novelty by the visitors, for Western Australia it marked the first official state representative football fixture.
A crowd of around 5,000 spectators turned out for the unique contest, paying an entrance fee of sixpence, with schoolboys admitted at half price. England won comfortably, 4–0, and within hours the team was back aboard the mail steamer RMS Omrah to continue its journey home.
Hostilities resumed in 1904, with England winning 3–0, before Western Australia put up stiffer resistance in 1906, when the English cricketers scraped home 3–2, again at Fremantle Oval. It was not until 1925 that the series was revived, this time with WA prevailing 5–3. The same scoreline was repeated four years later in favour of the home side.
That proved to be the final appearance of the cricketers — until 2002, when Football Hall of Fame committee member Richard Kreider proposed reviving the ‘Ashes’ series, with a twist, to mark the centenary of the Australia–England footballing clashes.
With England’s cricketers focused on Test match commitments at the WACA Ground, Kreider devised a quirky alternative: an English cricket-writing media team would face a Western Australian media and Hall of Fame selection. The idea was warmly embraced, particularly by the visitors, who won 2–1 on a warm afternoon, with former Test cricketer Angus Fraser scoring the winner with a long-range exocet.
There are no ashes in a small urn for the football victors. Instead, the trophy — featuring a cricket bat at one end and a footballer at the other — remains permanently in Perth, although the teams get to enjoy a celebratory reception after each match. To further mark the centenary, a commemorative certificate was presented to MCC chief executive Phil Neal at the Hall of Fame’s induction night in November 2002 at the Parmelia Hilton Hotel.
The WA media exacted revenge in 2006 with a 6–4 victory, featuring former Socceroos Robbie Zabica and Robbie Dunn, both bona fide members of the media at the time.
In 2010 the local side again triumphed, winning 4–2, with Perth Glory legend Bobby Despotovski providing the attacking flair and Ashley Morrison producing a man-of-the-match goalkeeping display.
Morrison was again inspired between the sticks at Dorrien Gardens in December 2013, producing a series of stunning saves. However, after leading 2–0 at half-time, WA ran out of legs and England’s former Test captain Michael Vaughan — once on the radar of Sheffield Wednesday before committing fully to cricket — inspired a comeback, scoring in a 3–2 victory. Another former Ashes cricketer, David “Bumble” Lloyd, added colour as the English manager, assisted by ex-captain Nasser Hussain. Highlights were broadcast on Channel Nine, while the BBC featured the match on its website and the Daily Mail published a humorous column by Lloyd.
A further clash followed in December 2017, when a thriller at Dorrien Gardens ended 3–3 before England prevailed in a penalty shoot-out, Vaughan again scoring the decisive goal.
The next fixture did not occur until December 2025, delayed by the transition from the WACA Ground to the new Perth (Optus) Stadium and Western Australia’s strict COVID-19 border controls. Once again, the English visitors emerged victorious, comfortably winning 8-2.
This time the contest was staged as a five-a-side match (with a rolling substitute) at Ashfield Reserve, reflecting cost-cutting measures by the English press, which no longer required journalists to attend every Test match.
The WA team featured Penny Hoath in goal, alongside Blayne Treadgold, Gareth Morgan and teammates drawn from the local media and Hall of Fame ranks.
The English side comprised Richard Gibson (Daily Mail), Vithushan Ehantharajah (ESPNcricinfo), Cameron Ponsonby (The Guardian), Michael Bailey (The Athletic) and Alex Taylor (BBC News).
Former NSL referee and returning Football Hall of Fame chairman Louis Prospero took charge — although “ran the middle” may be generous at his age — and, to give the visitors a slight edge, wore the same coloured shirt.
Special thanks go to Louis Prospero, Phil Kelly, and Gareth Morgan for their efforts in ensuring the match was staged at Ashfield. Daily Mail journalist Richard Gibson congratulated the Football Hall of Fame at the post-match reception inside the Ashfield Sports Club and encouraged the continuation of the event, acknowledging the significance and tradition the fixture upholds.
“The game was held in good spirit,” said Louis after the match, which the English won comfortably 8-2, “although it was only five-a-side due to media budget cuts, meaning fewer journalists now travel with the English squad.”
Feature image – the Football Ashes combatants (Western Australian in red, England in black)
Back row: Phil Kelly, Gareth Morgan, Alex Novatsis, Jaxon Bassett, Louis Prospero, Alex Taylor, Vithushan Ehantharajah, Michael Bailey and James
Front row: Penny Tanner Hoath, Blayne Treadgold, Paul Barry, Richard Gibson and Cameron Ponsonby