News

Softball WA celebrates Martu Youth Festival 2021

Published Thu 09 Sep 2021

Softball WA recently helped celebrate the Martu Youth Festival, hosted by Ngurra Kujungka, the Western Desert’s first community-driven regional sport and recreation organisation, to assist in the facilitation of the event’s softball competition.

On a vivid red dirt diamond, marked out with flour, six communities from the Western Desert Region, Parnpajinya, Warralong, Kiwirrkurra, Punmu, Nullagine and Parnngurr competed against one another with the ladies from Kiwirrkurra taking out the tournament, Punmu finished runners up.

The annual Martu Youth Festival celebrates Martu talent in sport, music and culture, and focuses on providing pathways for outstanding Martu youth through talent recognition.

Every year elite sporting organisations including West Coast Eagles, Swan Districts Football Club and Softball WA travel to the Western Desert seeking to identify talent at the festival.

Football and Softball games create a performance opportunity and potentially further development for promising players from the most remote regions of the Western Desert.

Western Flames player Sara Riou and Softball WA Participation & Development Officer Jacob Colangelo were on hand to officiate as well as identifying players who will be invited to take part in exhibition games and clinics in Perth later in the year.

“Seeing these communities come together through softball was amazing, it’s great to have our sport so accessible in such a remote location,” said Colangelo.

“The Martu Youth Festival is something we’re incredibly proud to be a part of and look forward to continuing to promote softball throughout Western Australia.”

Sara and Jacob were also lucky to feature on ABC 24 national news during the Festival. Check out the clip below:

https://bit.ly/3t7WsPp

Thanks to our Sponsor Newcrest Mining for supporting Softball WA in this activity.