Can a new AFL and Govt deal level the playing field and boost youth participation in WA’s footy factory?

The head of a Kimberley Indigenous sport body hopes a multi-million dollar deal to bolster community football will lead to regular youth fixtures and level the playing field in senior leagues. The WA Government on Sunday revealed details of a joint funding deal with the AFL announced in September last year which will see $5m poured into the three Kimberley football leagues over five years. That money will be used to employ full time development staff, upgrade grounds and amenities, subsidise gameday travel and improve representative pathways. Garnduwa Amboorny Wirnan chief executive Mick Albert said football held far-reaching benefits for remote communities. “Everybody loves their footy and they love to play finals as well so you can see when we play (in Broome) if Bidgy(adanga) or Looma is in the finals the whole community comes in and there is a sense of belonging,” he said. “Not a lot of big events happen in remote communities so if they can showcase their community... it becomes a real community event.” It is a timely boost for the region often described as a football factory due to the high number of AFL and AFLW drafted from the area. Many of those players - such as the West Coast Eagles’ Sam Petrevski-Seton and Fremantle recruit Eric Benning, make regular trips back home to engage with children in towns where youth crime and school truancy are prevalent. WA Sports and Recreation Minister David Templeman said the funding would support all levels of football participation. “We want to see more young girls coming and playing, we want to see more young fellas... because we know sport is a great enabler and if we can get more kids participating in sport... that all goes well for the overall wellbeing of the community,” he said. “We need to make sure the AFL and those clubs appreciate the work to support those young men and women who might be drafted and selected or identified through the talent scout approach, that they are supported from day dot. “The AFL has become increasingly conscious of that over the past few years, but I think there is a way to go still.” Each league across the remote and sparsely-populated region has its own challenges and, within those leagues, many teams face unique barriers as well. Halls Creek’s football team has to drive up to four hours to compete in the East Kimberley Football League which is centred around Kununurra 350km away. In the West Kimberley the competition is dominated at the senior level by Cable Beach, whose star-studded team has won seven of this year’s 12 games by more than 50 points, while the women have kept three teams scoreless. Among the Central league’s biggest concerns are a lack of junior fixtures and travel requirements on rough outback roads. And for players across the Kimberley identified for representative football, moving far from home to pursue their dreams can often be an isolating experience. Garnduwa chief executive Mick Albert said he hoped the $5m fund would go a long way to addressing many of these issues. “Broome has a bustling junior football club because we have the population to do it, but it gets much harder for those juniors when you got to Fitzroy and Halls Creek where the critical mass of kids isnt there,” he said. “Having something in place where those kids can play against same-age kids will only help to develop their ability to play and encourage parents to get involved. “With women playing now we have to take into account what happens with the kids so having a good plan in place so kids are looked after and players can get into town to play is really important.” Mr Albert said more expertise would help clubs develop capacity and better plan logistics around training and games.