Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker has thrust the debate over Woodside's sponsorship of the Fremantle Football Club back into the spotlight after being photographed on stage during the band's US Deadbeat tour wearing a Dockers jersey — with the oil and gas giant's logo deliberately concealed.
Parker, who holds the status of the club's number one ticket holder and lives in Fremantle, made his AFL allegiances unmistakable on an international stage as the Dockers prepared for a high-stakes preliminary final against Sydney. But it was what he covered up, not what he wore, that ignited fresh controversy back home.
A Visible Protest on a World Stage
Photos taken at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, showed Parker performing in the distinctive Fremantle guernsey with the prominent Woodside branding taped over. The gesture drew immediate attention among the club's supporter base and environmental advocates, who have long pushed for the Perth-headquartered energy company to be removed as a major sponsor.
Parker's on-stage statement came shortly after a coordinated protest by the Get Off My Chest campaign, whose founder Clare Lagan used spray paint to obscure the Woodside logo on a public mural depicting former Dockers players Michael Walters and Nat Fyfe, located outside the iconic Fremantle Markets.
Lagan welcomed Parker's action, saying it demonstrated the depth of feeling against the sponsorship within the club's fanbase. "Woodside has long been one of Australia's most controversial companies and one of sport's most controversial sponsors," she said. "We commend Kevin Parker and call on the Fremantle Football Club to end their partnership with Australia's largest fossil fuel company."
Lagan also questioned the nature of such corporate arrangements. "Woodside's sponsorships are not donations, they are distractions," she said, adding that the company owed an estimated $17 billion a year to the community.
A Long-Running Dispute Over the Woodside Deal
Calls for the Dockers to cut ties with Woodside are not new. A petition demanding the club sever the relationship attracted 8,000 signatures in 2023, when the sponsorship was due for renewal. At the time, independent senator and former Wallabies test captain David Pocock also publicly urged the club to walk away from the deal.
The club did not act on those calls. Instead, it extended and formalised the arrangement, signing Woodside on as major sponsor in 2024 through to the end of 2027.
Woodside declined to address Parker's protest directly but expressed continued enthusiasm for the relationship. "It's great to see the success the club is having this year. We're looking forward to continuing our work together," a company spokesperson said, noting the partnership had now spanned more than 15 years. The company also hung a "Wharfie Time" banner across its headquarters, visible to traffic heading into Perth's CBD along the busy southern corridor.
Environmental Groups Amplify the Message
The Conservation Council of WA's fossil fuels program manager, Gerard Mazza, said Parker's decision to mask the logo had sent a powerful signal internationally while reigniting the conversation in what he described as a typically environmentally minded electorate.
Mazza pointed specifically to Woodside's Browse gas project as a key concern. "The Browse project would have a significant cost for Western Australians," he said, warning the project was so carbon-intensive it risked pushing WA's domestic gas prices up to four times higher.
The Fremantle Football Club did not respond to questions on the matter. A representative for Parker confirmed he was unavailable for comment due to his ongoing tour commitments.
With the Dockers' finals campaign now commanding national attention, the question of whether the club will face renewed pressure over the Woodside deal — both from within its fanbase and from environmental advocates — looks set to continue well beyond the football season.
