Three young footballers from the Augusta Margaret River region will soon head to Adelaide to compete as part of the Western Australia Under 15s State squad.
Selected after an intensive trial process involving hundreds of young players, Kade Dittmar, Mia Dronow and Oscar Armstrong were back to training with their local teams this week.
“It’s really exciting to be selected, and to be going to South Australia again will be great.” said Dittmar, who was picked for a second year alongside fellow repeat-member Dronow.
“I think the overall number of tryouts was something like 600 players, so it’s a good feeling to be part of the team, it’s been a lot of hard work.”
Newcomer to the squad, Armstrong said he was “nervous but excited” to be playing for his state and was looking forward to travelling interstate with the group.
I think the overall number of tryouts was something like 600 players, so it’s a good feeling to be part of the team, it’s been a lot of hard work.
- Kade Dittmar
Dronow said she was looking forward to taking part in the competition after her first selection in 2017.
“It will be pretty exciting, I think. I’m looking forward to travelling over there again and playing some good games with the WA team.”
Last year the WA Boys team placed fifth in the national competition, while the WA Girls team landed in third spot.
Dittmar’s mother Kerryn said the selection process had the players and their families heading to Bunbury and Perth for trials and training, and that the kudos came at a steep cost.
“They have five weeks until they travel to Adelaide, and that’s five weeks to raise quite a bit of money to cover airfares, accommodation and other costs,” she explained.
“They really do work so hard to make this team, it’s a lot of long drives and juggling school, family and other sporting committments along the way.”
Mrs Dittmar said her son’s commitment to sport, including his star turns for the Hawks Cricket Club during summer, kept the family busy.
“We make it work as a family, and all the players come together to help each other out when it comes to programs like this,” she said.
The club will host the Home Hardware sausage sizzle this coming weekend and the Bunnings sausage sizzle on Saturday June 30.
A cake stall will also be held in front of Riverfresh IGA on July 14.
Nicky Lefebvre
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
