Football West’s Sarthak Mishra reflects on the growth of soccer in the Pilbara over the last 18 months

Soccer in Karratha has grown rapidly over the past 18 months with the launch of a new seniors’ league and a slew of programs to help develop young talent. Football West community participation officer Pilbara Sarthak Mishra came to the Pilbara in January last year hoping to grow participant numbers and community engagement of soccer in the region. Mishra will be leaving the role in the coming weeks and spoke to Pilbara News about the development of soccer while he was here. During his time in the Pilbara, Mishra has helped launch new programs to grow the sport including the Female Football Training Centre which has 25 participants, a high performance/talent support program as well as street football to engage at risk youth in Roebourne and Newman. Other highlights included getting a senior soccer competition up and running in Karratha which held its first round on May 23. Mishra said Football West had a program for pretty much everyone in the community. “From a three-year-old to a senior member of the community. Whether you just want to have a kick or you’re one of the talented football players — we have a program that suits you.,” he said. “The sport now has a presence among community groups, professional networks as well as government discussions. “We have tried our best to support the associations and clubs.” Mishra said he had received significant support from the community and saw a bright future for soccer in the Pilbara. “The Pilbara region has a lot of potential to grow and possibly put some world-class events on stage,” he said. “There are some amazing players in the region who can do a lot of outshining things if the right support is provided. I wish good luck to the football community and would like to thank them for their support during my journey here.”