Fremantle Dockers AFLW squad inspire young players during Karratha community camp

Young Karratha footy fans were treated to a memorable visit when the Fremantle Dockers AFLW squad brought their skills, stories and energy to town for a two-day community camp on June 3 and 4.

The squad visited five schools across Karratha, ran skill-building activities and hosted a coaching workshop led by senior coach Lisa Webb at the Karratha Kats Football and Sporting Club.

On Wednesday, June 4, the group hosted a free Youth Girls Football Clinic at Baynton West Oval for West Pilbara Junior Football League players.

“We had Gabby Biedenweg-Webster and Maddie Scanlon from the Freo Dockers join us just a few months ago, and they saw how much there was a want for the youth girls in the Pilbara region to play AFL,” WPJFL secretary Brooke McLaren said.

Fremantle Dockers’ forward Georgie Brisbane said her favourite part of the community camp was providing young players in regional communities similar opportunities to Perth kids.

“Hopefully, it inspires girls and boys too, to get into football. Right now especially for girls, it’s such an exciting time to get into the sport, as there’s so many pathways opening up,” she said.

“It’s probably a bit of an eye-opener as well — a lot of us are from Melbourne or South Australia and Tasmania — all different places, so they can see that it’s possible to get to this point for any type of girl in any kind of community, regional or metro.

“You can make adjustments to your life; for example, I’ve moved from Melbourne to fulfil my footy dreams. These girls can relocate to take on opportunities available to them.”

Fremantle Dockers midfielder/forward Megan Kauffman echoed the sentiment, reflecting on how different things were during her youth.

“I didn’t have that same opportunity when I was their age — I was playing different sports like tennis before I got drafted,” she said.

“It’s not just about keeping girls playing footy, but just sport in general. It’s so important to show that as adults we’re still continuing to play sport and love it, and there’s a future there.”

The WPJFL is still open for registrations with a range of free clinics coming up. Head to WPJFL’s Facebook page to find out more.