The Football Hall of Fame WA recently had the honour of participating in the seventh annual meeting of the Sports Museum Network of Australia and New Zealand. The three-day event, held in Perth between June 25-27, brought together key figures from the sport museum sector to exchange ideas and experiences, and provide networking opportunities between local, national and international peers.
“The SMN is a group of 100+ individuals who work with the material culture of sport,” explained meeting coordinator Jed Smith of the Australian Sports Museum. “Some work in sports museums, some have collections they want to display, some manage the heritage of a particular sport or club, some work in major museums or libraries that hold sporting material, some are professionals and some are volunteers.”
“What binds them all is that they generally work in isolation and the thing that they need most is the chance to compare notes with others facing the same challenges. To meet this need, the SMN was set up in 2017 with a mandate to bring its members together via the minimum amount of red tape. The SMN’s annual three-day meetings commenced in Melbourne in 2018, with Perth being the destination during 2025.”
Amongst the highlights of the 2025 SMN meeting were guest speakers from organisation as diverse as the Australian Sports Museum, Netball WA, West Coast Eagles and Victoria Racing Club. Attendees also visited a number of sporting museums and collections including the WA Museum, State Library of WA, Optus Stadium, Baseball WA and Fremantle Martime Museum along with our very own displays at the WA Italian Club.
“A highlight of every meeting is the site visits that the group undertake, and we had the great pleasure to visit the Football Hall of Fame WA Museum – a treasure trove of amazing objects and some truly incredible stories,” Smith commented. “It was fantastic to meet the enthusiasts who manage the collection, and we look forward to sharing their journey with them, offering whatever support we can.”
The Football Hall of Fame WA Museum is located within the WA Italian Club at 217-225 Fitzgerald Street, West Perth. The Museum is open to the public from Wednesday to Friday 11:00am to late, and Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm. Entry is free.