Kimberley Spirit to take over Optus Stadium in AFL round 10

Teens from Garnduwa’s Kimberley Spirit Football Program are set to take over and play in front of a full AFL crowd at Optus Stadium during round 10 just before Fremantle take on Geelong.

The footy-mad teenagers will run out in front of a full crowd of passionate spectators and play under the big lights in the Sir Doug Nicholls round on May 20 and take on another rival country football team.

It will be the first time the Kimberley Spirit Program has been given the opportunity to play at the Stadium before a big league game, all thanks to the Fremantle Dockers.

Kimberley Spirit Football Program co-ordinator Ben De Meo said the boys were beyond excited when they heard the news.

“The boys are pumped,” he said.

“It’s gonna be good, because we’re able to bring all the Kimberley Spirit boys from the region but also the ones who are schooling in Perth. They will all get the opportunity to represent the region.”

Mr De Meo said he hoped the Dockers would extend the opportunity in coming years and get both the Kimberley Spirit boys and girls playing under the big lights.

“It’s definitely a one-off thing at the moment but we would love it to be a yearly thing and as the female pathway develops we will hopefully get the girls the opportunity to go down there as well,” he said.

The Kimberley Spirit team will be selected from local training hubs and the U15s training camps held in Broome and Kununurra over the coming months.

It is just the latest opportunity granted to young football fans in the Kimberley thanks to the tireless work of Garnduwa’s Kimberley Spirit Program which aims to provide Kimberley kids with the same sporting opportunities as their city counterparts.