A GROUP of 35 kids will swap the dust of the Pilbara for the bright lights of Perth this weekend, with Pannawonica’s Auskick participants invited to play at an AFL match for the very first time.
Auskick players between the ages of five and eight will put their skills to the test at half-time at Subiaco Oval, during the West Coast v North Melbourne game this Sunday 22 August.
Older Auskick players, aged nine – 12 years, will play at half-time of the WAFL game at Bassendean on Saturday, providing a chance for all the kids who play footy at Pannawonica to participate in the trip.
Pannawonica Auskick co-ordinator Bec Woods said that the trip would be an exciting first for the kids, most of who have never been to a real football match or even played a real game of league footy themselves.
“In our remote mining town, we simply don’t have the numbers to form a junior league, so this experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity for outback kids who have never had the chance to be involved in a competitive game of footy,” Ms Woods said.
“Our kids, some who travel from outlying stations to train at Pannawonica, are more used to sharing the oval with kangaroos and cattle than with other players!’ she said
The trip brings months of training and fundraising to a close, with the 700-strong mining community rallying to help the kids on their near 2000km journey to the capital.
“This will be a weekend that our kids will remember for years to come,” Ms Woods said.
“They couldn’t be more excited, and of course, they are nervously hoping they might get to meet some 'real' AFL players and their favourite football heroes this weekend,” she said.
