West Coast premiership star Will Schofield to create first WA team for Australian Fistball championships

Will Schofield has already reached the pinnacle of one sport – the AFL.

Now he’s aiming to make the Australian side in one of the most obscure sports in the world – fistball.

Schofield and former West Coast teammate Hamish Brayshaw are putting together WA’s first-ever stateside for the sport – The Western Fisters – with tryouts at Floreat Athena from 3pm on Saturday.

Fistball is a sport that competes on a field of 50m by 20m with similar rules to volleyball except the ball must be hit with a close fist or their arm.

A point is won when an opponent is unable to return a hit across the net or makes a service fault.

Matches consist of sets that are won by the team who is the first to 11 points, but a side must win by at least two up until a maximum of 15 points.

Schofield played predominantly as a defender across his 194 games career for the Eagles and has since built a media business called BackChat around his love for backmen.

This is why the 34-year-old believes it’s the perfect sport for him.

“It came across the Backchat desk and I thought it was my life’s calling,” Schofield said.

“I wondered after 14 years in the AFL if I applied my talents in the right sport or if I wasted my biggest talent which is to spoil the ball. It’s too good to be true. It’s unreal.”

“Australia has had a representative side for 10 years but never any Western Australian representation, so it was a no-brainer to put together a side and take on the rest of Australia.”

Schofield will also be trying out for the team but admits he and Brayshaw may end up coaching.

“I am resigned to the fact that I may not be good enough to play for the State side, but if I am I will play,” he said.

Schofield himself is funding the entire trip himself, taking 10 players as well as a couple of reserves to Geelong at the 2023 Fistball Australia National Championships.

They are then hoping to finally get some West Australians into the Australian side named The Wombats to compete at next year’s World Cup.

Those wanting to try out will have to complete a 40m sprint, agility test, fist-measuring station, longest fist and then a game with a team to be selected from the tryouts.

Schofield also hinted some former and current Eagles may also be in attendance at the tryouts.