Camp gives boys elite-level glimpse

Aspiring footballers from across the Kimberley had a small taste of the life of an elite athlete when they gathered in Broome for the Kimberley Spirit under-19s camp.

Over the Labour Day long weekend, boys from Broome, Derby, Mowanjum, Fitzroy Valley, Warmun, Halls Creek, Wyndham and Kununurra came together to hone their football skills under the guidance of their Kimberley Spirit coaches.

Garnduwa Kullarri active community co-ordinator Tom Ellies said the camp was all about gathering the Kimberley’s young football talent in one place and developing their skills.

“The boys were selected for the camp through their respective school programs and local football teams, as well as how they have been performing at the training sessions in Kimberley Spirit’s five training hubs,” he said.

“They were picked based on their football talent firstly, then we take school attendance and leadership qualities into account for our camp selection.

“We also had a staff member from the Claremont Tigers, our affiliated WAFL club, come to the camp and scout the local talent.”

Throughout the three-night camp, the boys took part in various workshops before their football skills were put to the test in a match against a collective of West Kimberley Football League players.

“The boys took part in some fitness testing on the Saturday as well as some health education workshops with Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services and headspace Broome,” Mr Ellies said.

“We also had Claremont Tigers give a workshop about the talent pathways the boys can take if they wish to pursue a career in football.

“There were also a couple of beach sessions at Cable Beach and then, of course, everything built up to the match against a number of WKFL players, so it was a very jam-packed two days.”

The Kimberley Spirit under-19s quickly came together as a team when they ventured to Haynes Oval on Sunday, March 3 to take on the best in WKFL.

The Kimberley Spirit team impressed throughout the match, showing off the skills they had developed on the camp, winning the match against WKFL.

Following the match, Kununurra’s Conrad Williams was awarded the Kiefer Yu Medal for best on ground.

Mr Ellies said although the camp might have been overwhelming with the amount of workshops that, it was well received by the participants.

“From the reviews I’ve heard, I think everyone enjoyed themselves on the camp which is great to hear,” he said.

“We tried to deliver new workshops in this year’s camp and I think the boys really took a lot out of the different workshops we had.

“Obviously, they really loved the football match — any football-related stuff is a highlight for them and it was even better that they walked away with a win.”