The City of Fremantle and the Fremantle Dockers could be headed for a legal stoush with the council calling in lawyers after the Dockers reportedly wanted millions to vacate their old clubhouse at Fremantle Oval.
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The Dockers are expected to move into their new swanky $109 million training HQ at Cockburn West around June next year, despite having a lease at Fremantle Oval until 2054 and a council that passionately opposed the move.
WAtoday revealed in October that the Dockers had asked the city for around $4 million for the clubhouse they will leave empty when the club packs up and heads south.
Ironically the Dockers built the building in 2000 with the help of a $2 million loan the city took out on its behalf.
But a report set to be discussed at council on Wednesday night about the future of the $20 million spruce up of Fremantle Oval, claims the city is taking legal advice in relation to the lease agreement between the council and the Dockers.
The report also states the pair can't reach an agreement when the Dockers should leave Fremantle Oval.
With the city and the Dockers unable to nut out a deal for the clubhouse, the redevelopment of the oval and the nearby Stan Reilly Centre is on hold for now.
The council wants to redevelop the oval which will see WA's oldest bitter rivals – East Fremantle and South Fremantle - share the ground again.
The plan, which the city ticked off in April, involves re-aligning the oval in order to move it closer to the Victoria Pavilion as well as building new club administration offices, commercial offices and a gymnasium.
Fremantle councillor Rachel Pemberton said last year portsiders and the city had long supported and taken pride in the Dockers.
Fremantle council fought vigorously to keep the Dockers at their "spiritual home", even offering to spend $100 million redeveloping Fremantle Oval, but in the end the Dockers opted to relocate to Cockburn.
"It's a shame they want this significant amount of money when we didn't even want them to leave," Ms Pemberton said.
"But we have not been able to use Fremantle Oval for a long time as a community facility and it is a fantastic one.
"So if anything good is to come out of this it will be being able to use it again for community events and relieve the pressure on the Esplanade Reserve, which has taken a bit of a hammering."
The Keep Freo in Freo action group, which was formed in 2012 to battle the Dockers leaving the port city, previously said the club asking for money from the council amounted to "a betrayal of the city".
"Free rent for 21 years and this is the thanks," a spokesman said.
"It needs to be remembered that when the WAFC tried to force Fremantle to move to Subiaco, the Fremantle council bent over backwards to help the Fremantle Football Club with free rent and a cheap loan. The council also gave the Dockers exclusive rights to the oval which meant a lot of traditional community events had to find a new home and even South Fremantle had to compromise on how it could use the oval.
"The Dockers building was built largely with community support by people who passionately got behind Fremantle staying in Fremantle. In addition, they are receiving taxpayers' money to relocate into a new building and now have the cheek to ask the taxpayers to buy their old digs back.
"The state and federal governments should just tell the Dockers that they've already got a great free ride and that they need to stop being so greedy. When you break a lease and walk away from a commitment, you don't get a payout."
Both Fremantle council and the Dockers have been contacted for comment.
