Strength of North West soccer on display at country week in Perth

Pilbara soccer goes from strength to strength as Karratha and Newman take silver at country week and the sport’s popularity in Hedland explodes. In a region dominated by Aussie Rules and cricket, the three Pilbara towns that sent soccer teams down to Perth to take part in Football West’s Country Week have a lot to be happy about. Hedland Junior Soccer Association president Laura Hawes said the surging popularity of the sport in town allowed the club to send down three sides this year. She said junior soccer in Port Hedland was starting to rival Aussie Rules. “We have hit almost 300 players this year which means we are almost as big a club as the AFL junior club in town,” she said. “Soccer from a junior perspective has grown dramatically over the past two or three years in Hedland. “This competition gives our players a chance to compete against regional clubs from across the State.” HJSA sent an under-15 team, an under-13 team, and an under-11 team to the tournament. While no Hedland teams made the final there was lots of success from other Pilbara teams. Karratha District Junior Soccer Association placed second in the under-17 boys, under-15 boys, and under-12 girls. Newman Junior Soccer Association also won silver in the under-11 boys B division. Mr Hawes said the strength of soccer in Port Hedland was shown by the fact multiple players had been selected to compete in tournaments in Asia. “We have had a couple of players talent identified and we have now got four players going to compete in Asian tournaments in the next few months,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for all of our players but it is also a great opportunity to get identified as well.” The identified players have been selected as part of the Country WA team who will travel to Singapore and Phuket. Ms Hawes said the popularity in Hedland would grow even more after the success of the Matildas’ in the Women’s World Cup. “We have had a 37 per cent increase in registrations this year compared to last year,” she said. “I think the World Cup has helped the sport in general and female sport in general. “It’s the world game and in Hedland, we are following the trend that has been seen across Australia.”