Earlier this week, members of Fremantle's AFLW squad headed up north to Karratha to spend two days engaging with the community and fans in Western Australia’s North West, thanks to Woodside.
The group visited a number schools across the Pilbara region, as well as multiple local football clubs, conducting clinics, coaching workshops and running a specific youth girls clinic on the final evening.
AFLW Senior Coach Lisa Webb said the camp was a rewarding experience for both the Fremantle squad and the Pilbara students.
“The students have been fantastic; they’ve been really engaged, and we’ve been able to deliver some education sessions and some fundamental skills to some of the locals,” Webb said.
“It's a really important part for our girls to get up here and support the locals in making sure we bring footy to life.”
Through the ongoing partnership with Woodside, the Club has been fortunate enough to travel to the Pilbara twice already this year, with another five visits yet to come, focusing on footy-based development and learning programs offered to local students, educations and the broader community within the Pilbara.
“They don’t get the same opportunity as some students do down in Perth metro area, so it’s great for us,” Webb said.
Webb conducted a coaching clinic at the Karratha Kats Football Club on the first evening of camp, connecting with local Karratha-based community coaches.
“It was an interactive workshop where we talked a bit about connection, leadership, and some key resourcing that I think could be useful up here,” Webb said.
“We also had a lot of kids running around (outside); the girls were out coaching the men’s and women’s teams, so (it was) a great opportunity for us.”
Having watched the AFLW players conduct football clinics with young, aspiring students, Webb was thrilled with how engaging they were made to be.
Captain Ange Stannett said she hoped the experience was as rewarding for the students as it was for the Fremantle squad.
“It’s been awesome to get up here and hit some of the Pilbara region and it's great that Woodside's been able to get us up here and reach out to the local community,” Stannett said.
“You can see it in the face of the kids when we rock up and the questions they have, and again, how enthusiastic they are; it’s so rewarding for them, but it's also so rewarding for us to be able to give back in this way.
“These sorts of opportunities where AFL clubs come up to these regions don’t happen too often, so it’s great for us to get out here for these kids and give them some new opportunities where they get to just have a bit of fun, learn some new footy skills, make new friends and connect in different ways so it's been really rewarding so far."
