Shona to shine overseas

Broome Senior High School student Shona Handford has become the first person from the Kimberley town to ever be selected for a State representative team in soccer.

The 16-year-old travelled to Perth for a week-long training camp last month, with young women from all regional areas in the State vying for a place in the WA regional team.

It was the first time that Broome Soccer Association has submitted youth players for consideration, and midfielder Shona was selected at the first time of asking.

Shona and the WA regional under-16 girls side will now travel to Singapore on October 30, to take part in the Singa Cup tournament over 11 days.

Teams from Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the Philippines will be there.

The talented soccer enthusiast said selection was unexpected.

“I have only played soccer for three years, but love the sport,” she said. “The training was thorough, and I didn’t expect to get picked for the team, so I am delighted to be part of the squad.”

Broome Soccer Association president Michael Dawson said Shona’s achievement showed that the sport was growing in popularity locally.

“Shona’s selection in the regional representative side is a fantastic achievement for both Shona and the BSA,” he said.

“The team is playing in international competition, which means Shona is Broome’s first homegrown soccer international.

“This year is the first time we’ve managed to co-ordinate players attending the development camp in Perth, and a great deal of hard work has gone into youth development by some really exceptional volunteers.

“The fact we’ve now set the bar so high is testament to how much they’ve contributed.

“We’ve also been lucky to get incredible support from Jamie Harnwell and Football West in assisting our players in attending the development camp.”

Broome Senior High school is also set to send a soccer team to the WA Country Week competition this year for the first time. A boys side will compete in the tournament at the start of next month.