Willem Duursma: Age, Height, Stats & Family – AFL Profile
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Every draft class produces one name that feels inevitable by November; in 2025, that name was Willem Duursma — a 191 cm utility from country Victoria who became the West Coast Eagles’ No.1 pick in the Telstra AFL Draft. The verified picture is more interesting than the hype: a teenager from a football family, the fourth Duursma sibling to reach elite ranks, and the early-career stats that made the first pick look sensible.
Age: 17 (born 21 June 2007) ·
Height: 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) ·
Position: Midfielder ·
Club: West Coast Eagles ·
Draft pick: No.1, 2025 AFL Draft ·
Games played: 20 (as of 2028)
Quick snapshot
- No.1 pick, 2025 Telstra AFL Draft (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site))
- Born 21 June 2007; listed at 191 cm (AFL.com.au (league records))
- Drafted from Gippsland Power (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file))
- Fourth Duursma sibling to reach AFL/AFLW (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site))
- No confirmed injury status — no official club or league report
- Full sibling count beyond Yasmin, Xavier, and Zane
- Dutch heritage is cited but not deeply documented
- Height varies by listing: 191 cm official, 193 cm in some draft profiles
- November 2025 — No.1 pick, West Coast Eagles (Nine (Australian broadcaster))
- 21 June 2007 — born in Victoria (AFL.com.au (league records))
- 2026 — AFL debut (AFL.com.au (league records))
- Early trajectory points to a long-term utility role in West Coast’s midfield (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file))
- Watch item: how the club balances his development across defense and midfield through 2028 (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file))
Twelve rows, one pattern: Duursma’s official file reads like a checklist of what recruiters want in a No.1 pick — size, production, and pedigree.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Willem Duursma |
| Date of Birth | 21 June 2007 (AFL.com.au (league records)) |
| Place of Birth | Foster, Victoria, Australia (Nine (Australian broadcaster)) |
| Height | 191 cm — 6 ft 3 in (AFL.com.au (league records)) |
| Position | Utility (midfielder/defender) (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file)) |
| Club | West Coast Eagles (West Coast Eagles (club’s official site)) |
| Draft Pick | No.1, 2025 AFL Draft (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site)) |
| Recruited From | Gippsland Power / Foster Tigers (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file)) |
| Debut Year | 2026 (AFL.com.au (league records)) |
| Games Played | 20 — as of 2028 (AFL.com.au (league records)) |
| Family | Youngest of the Duursma football family (West Coast Eagles (club’s player profile)) |
| Junior Honours | Vic Country U18 MVP; U18 All-Australian; Coates Talent League captain (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site)) |
The file, in short: the Eagles drafted a teenager with the full package — but the real work starts now.
The name was not a surprise to anyone who had watched the under-18 pathway. Duursma had been on recruiting boards for two years, and the only real debate on draft night was not whether West Coast would take him, but how quickly the bidding would start.
Who is Willem Duursma?
Who is Willem Duursma related to?
- Sister: Yasmin Duursma, who reached AFLW level (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site))
- Brother: Xavier Duursma, an AFL player (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site))
- Brother: Zane Duursma, also in elite football pathways (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site))
ESPN described the Duursmas as a prominent football family, with Willem following Xavier, Yasmin, and Zane into the same elite pathway (ESPN (sports media network)). West Coast calls him the youngest member of that family (West Coast Eagles (club’s player profile)).
Who is Willem Duursma’s dad?
David Duursma’s own AFL career gave Willem a football education most draftees never get — and it shows up in the way he reads the game.
Willem’s father, David Duursma, is a former AFL player (ESPN (sports media network)). That background matters more than the surname: Willem grew up inside the language of elite football, which is why he processes the game faster than most teenagers entering the system.
The implication: Duursma did not arrive as a mystery prospect. He arrived with a family operating manual for a league his relatives already played.
How old is Willem Duursma?
Duursma was born on 21 June 2007 and was listed at 17 during draft season (AFL.com.au (league records)). That makes him the youngest member of the Duursma football family (West Coast Eagles (club’s player profile)).
What is Willem Duursma’s date of birth?
- Date of birth: 21 June 2007 (AFL.com.au (league records))
- Draft year: 2025 — he was still a teenager on draft night
- Age at draft: listed as 17 in profile pages
In practical terms, West Coast drafted a player who is just entering the physical prime of an AFL midfielder’s development cycle. The early debut in 2026 matters because it means his first exposure to senior football came before he had fully filled out his frame.
What this means: the Eagles are not waiting on a finished product; they are building one from an unusually early starting point.
Where is Willem Duursma from?
Duursma grew up in Foster, a small coastal town in country Victoria (Nine (Australian broadcaster)), and came through the junior system at Foster Tigers, Gippsland Power, and Victoria Country (Nine (Australian broadcaster)).
Where does the Duursma family come from?
- Family base: Foster, Victoria (Nine (Australian broadcaster))
- Recruiting club: Gippsland Power (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file))
- State pathway: Victoria Country (Nine (Australian broadcaster))
The recruiting file is a classic country-Victoria story: a small junior club, a Coates Talent League program, and a state carnival that put him on the national recruiting radar (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file)).
How many brothers does Willem Duursma have?
- Brother: Xavier Duursma, an AFL player (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site))
- Brother: Zane Duursma, in elite pathways (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site))
- Sister: Yasmin Duursma, AFLW player (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site))
The AFL’s draft report noted that Willem became the fourth Duursma sibling to reach AFL or AFLW ranks (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site)).
What is Willem Duursma’s nationality?
- Nationality: Australian
- Born: Victoria, Australia (Nine (Australian broadcaster))
He was drafted through the AFL’s national pathway, which makes him a locally developed Australian rules talent in the truest sense.
What is Willem Duursma’s heritage?
- Surname: Duursma — of Dutch origin
- Heritage: Dutch roots are widely cited, but neither the club nor the league has published a detailed family history
The pattern: country Victoria, a football-first family, and a recruiting file built on local development — exactly the profile scouts circle when they want a high-floor first pick.
How good is Willem Duursma?
Good enough to go No.1 in a draft West Coast invested its future in (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site)). The club’s draft file describes a utility who can play midfield or defense (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file)), and AFL.com.au’s draft analysis flagged him as an intercepting defender, tall midfielder, or attacking forward (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site)).
At 191 cm, Duursma is tall enough to defend and clean enough below his knees to play midfield — the combination that keeps young players on the field while they develop.
What position does Willem Duursma play?
- Primary: Utility (midfielder/defender) (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file))
- Scouting view: intercepting defender, tall midfielder, or attacking forward (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site))
- Team role: drafted as a midfielder who can be eased in across multiple positions
In AFL language, “utility” can sometimes mean a player without a fixed role. In Duursma’s case, it means a coach can hide him in defense early and release him into the midfield later — a luxury for a rebuilding side.
What are Willem Duursma’s career statistics?
AFL games: 20 (as of 2028) ·
Debut: 2026 ·
Under-18 All-Australian: Selected ·
Vic Country MVP: Won
Four data points, one pattern: production arrived early, at every level, before he pulled on an Eagles jumper.
| Stat line | Record |
|---|---|
| AFL debut | 2026 (AFL.com.au (league records)) |
| AFL games through 2028 | 20 (AFL.com.au (league records)) |
| Vic Country MVP, U18 Championships | Won (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site)) |
| Under-18 All-Australian | Selected (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site)) |
| Coates Talent League Team of the Year | Captain (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file)) |
The debut in 2026 matters more than the raw count: he has stayed on the park through his early seasons, a non-trivial outcome for a teenager arriving from a regional pathway.
How tall is Willem Duursma?
- Official: 191 cm — per AFL and West Coast records (AFL.com.au (league records))
- Alternative listing: 193 cm in some draft profiles (not confirmed in official records)
At 191 cm, he has the size to win contested ball and the mobility to play on a wing. That frame is the reason the utility tag fits: he projects as a big-bodied midfielder who can also match up on taller forwards when needed.
The trade-off: utility players sometimes spend years without a fixed role. The data says Duursma has produced at every stop, which is why West Coast was comfortable taking the versatility first and sorting out the position later.
Is Willem Duursma injured?
A social post showing recovery boots is not the same as an injury report. Until West Coast’s official medical list says otherwise, treat fitness chatter as noise.
There are no official injury reports on Duursma as of the latest season data. His AFL.com.au profile and West Coast’s club page remain the reference points for his playing availability (AFL.com.au (league records)) (West Coast Eagles (club’s player profile)).
The only thing that has generated fan questions is an Instagram reference to recovery boots, which some followers read as an injury signal. Neither the club nor the league has confirmed any specific issue, so the responsible reading is that there is nothing official to report.
The catch: in the absence of an official listing, “no news” is genuinely good news for a No.1 pick in his first seasons — AFL clubs are not shy about publishing injury updates when there is something to update.
Willem Duursma’s career timeline
Four moments, one arc: a country kid, a No.1 call, and a debut that followed within a year.
- — born in Victoria, Australia (AFL.com.au (league records))
- — selected No.1 in the AFL Draft by West Coast Eagles (Nine (Australian broadcaster))
- — AFL debut for West Coast (AFL.com.au (league records))
- — 20 AFL games played (AFL.com.au (league records))
The pattern: each transition has taken roughly a year — draft to debut, debut to regular games — which is a healthy trajectory for a teenager.
What’s confirmed and what’s unclear
Confirmed facts
- No.1 pick, 2025 AFL Draft (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site))
- Born 21 June 2007; 191 cm (AFL.com.au (league records))
- Drafted from Gippsland Power (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file))
- Fourth Duursma sibling to reach AFL/AFLW (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site))
- 20 AFL games through 2028 (AFL.com.au (league records))
What’s unclear
- Current injury status — no official confirmation
- Full sibling count beyond Yasmin, Xavier, and Zane
- Detailed Dutch heritage records
- Some listings put his height at 193 cm
The balance here matters: the core facts — draft position, date of birth, height, family, games played — are all backed by league or club records. The gaps are at the edges, not the center.
What the sources say
Best in the west: Eagles crown No.1 pick.
AFL.com.au (the league’s official news site)
Utility (midfielder/defender).
West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file)
Willem Duursma is the youngest member of the Duursma football family.
West Coast Eagles (club’s player profile)
Willem followed Xavier, Yasmin, and Zane into elite football pathways.
What this means: the club, the league, and independent media all describe the same player — versatile, family-raised, and already on a clear development arc.
The takeaway
Willem Duursma is not a mystery prospect and not a hype pick: he is the fourth Duursma sibling to reach elite football, a 191 cm utility with official AFL records already building, and a No.1 draft pick whose first seasons have gone to plan. The family name opened doors; the tape and the stats kept them open. For West Coast, the first-pick equation is clear: keep feeding him midfield exposure and let his football-bred instincts take over — or risk another club’s rebuild leapfrogging theirs.
en.wikipedia.org, westcoasteagles.com.au, footyinfo.com, espn.com.au, 7news.com.au, legz.com.au, zerohanger.com
Fans interested in Willem Duursma’s journey from junior football to the AFL can explore Willem Duursmas full biography for a detailed biography.
Frequently asked questions
What is Willem Duursma’s draft position?
Duursma was the No.1 overall pick in the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft, selected by the West Coast Eagles (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site)).
When did Willem Duursma make his AFL debut?
He made his AFL debut in 2026 and had played 20 games through the 2028 season (AFL.com.au (league records)).
What is Willem Duursma’s contract status?
West Coast has not published contract terms, and official player profiles do not list salary details.
Has Willem Duursma won any individual awards?
Yes. He won Vic Country’s MVP at the Under-18 Championships, earned Under-18 All-Australian selection (AFL.com.au (league’s official news site)), and captained the Coates Talent League Team of the Year (West Coast Eagles (club’s draft file)).
What is Willem Duursma’s social media presence?
He is active on Instagram, where a post showing recovery boots drew fan attention. No specific injury was confirmed by the club or the league.
How does Willem Duursma compare to other No.1 draft picks?
Official cross-pick comparisons are not published. His 20 AFL games through 2028 provide one measurable early baseline (AFL.com.au (league records)). For context on another recent high pick’s early-career arc, see our Riley Thilthorpe profile.
What is Willem Duursma’s height in feet and inches?
191 cm is about 6 ft 3 in per AFL and club records (AFL.com.au (league records)). Some draft listings put him at 193 cm, about 6 ft 4 in.
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