WA Grassroots Football Book

[MortlockWatcher]

I am pleased to confirm that I am going to be writing a book about my travels around the football leagues of Western Australia this season, which will start with a journey to the Lower South West FL on April 2 and will end at either the WAFL Grand Final or the SWFL Grand Final, depending on dates.

Once the leagues have confirmed their season fixtures, I will provide a list of the matches that I will be attending here, however I can confirm that I will be going to matches in Cervantes, Goomalling, Kalgoorlie, Lake Grace, Albany, Fremantle and Subiaco so far, as well as the WA v Tasmania game, the SA Country v WA Country game, the Great Southern and Northern Regions Colts Carnivals and also the Landmark Carnival.

The book is intended to be released in 2017.

 

[MortlockWatcher]

My season schedule has now been locked in!

My first port of call will be Boyup Brook for their Lower South West F.L. season opener against Kojonup on Saturday April 2 and the journey will culminate in a trip to the W.A.F.L. Grand Final on Sunday September 25 after travelling more than 30,000 kilometres.

I will see approximately 70 matches (including more than 50 League matches and 17 Reserves matches) and will take in matches from Kununurra, Broome and Port Hedland in the north down to Albany, Ravensthorpe and Esperance in the south, as well as a cross-border hop for the WA Country team’s interstate clash against SA Country in Adelaide in July.

The journey will take in matches from all 30 of the state’s senior competitions over 40 match days, as well as three Carnivals (the Great Southern Colts Carnival and the Northern Regions Colts Carnival in mid-June and the Landmark Country Championships in July) and two State representative matches (Western Australia versus Tasmania in June and also the SA Country versus WA Country clash).

Each week, the League match visited will be reviewed in a podcast available on this Facebook page.

To get around the state (and the SA Country v WA Country game), I need to fly on six occasions - Kununurra, Port Hedland, Newman, Adelaide and two flights to Broome – no mean feat for a self-confessed ‘nervous flyer’.

In a twist, I will play one-off matches for more than a dozen clubs during my travels from the start of the season until clearances close at the end of June.

Up to 12 matches will also be broadcast via a live audio broadcast with colleague Jacob Landsmeer during the season. The broadcast matches will be confirmed prior to the start of the season and the matches will be available for listening as podcasts on this Facebook page.

FACEBOOK: WA FOOTY TRAVELLER
TWITTER: @bouncingburley
WEB: www.frontiersportsmedia.com


The full schedule is as follows:

April 2 - BOYUP BROOK v Kojonup
April 3 - SOUTHERN SAINTS v TBC
April 9 - SOUTH MANDURAH v Halls Head
April 16 - Bunbury v Carey Park / South Bunbury v Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault
April 17 - HARVEY BULLS v Eaton Boomers
April 23 - CERVANTES v Moora
April 24 - Mundaring v Parkerville
April 30 - Towns v Bombers / Cable Beach v Bidyadanga Emus / SAINTS v Looma
May 7 - NORTHAMPTON v Mullewa
May 14 - Tigers v Lakes
May 15 - GOOMALLING v Gingin
May 20 - Fortescue N.F.L. (Match TBC)
May 21 - Centrals v Tigers / Saints v PIONEERS
May 27 - Port Hedland Rovers v South Hedland Swans
May 29 - KUKERIN/DUMBLEYUNG v Narrogin Hawks
June 4 - W.A. Amateur F.L. (Match TBC)
June 5 - York v RAILWAYS
June 6 - South Fremantle v East Fremantle
June 11 - Western Australia v Tasmania
June 12 - Narembeen v KULIN/KONDININ
June 18 - Great Southern Colts Carnival
June 19 - Northern Regions Colts Carnival
June 25 - Newdegate v Lake Grace/Pingrup
June 26 - ALBANY v Mount Barker
July 2 - Mines Rovers v Railways
July 3 - KAMBALDA v Kalgoorlie
July 10 - Landmark Country Football Championships Finals
July 16 - PORTS v Gibson
July 23 - East Kimberley F.L. – Preliminary Final
July 31 - S.A. Country v W.A. Country (Adelaide)
August 6 - Nannup Tigers v Busselton Bombers
August 13 - Gascoyne F.A. (Match TBC)
August 14 - Metro F.L. (Match TBC)
August 21 - Central Kimberley F.L. – Preliminary Final
August 27 - Central Wheatbelt F.L. - GRAND FINAL
August 28 - W.A. Women’s F.L. - GRAND FINAL
September 3 - W.A. Amateur F.L. – ‘B’ Grade Preliminary Final
September 10 - North Midlands F.L. - GRAND FINAL
September 17 - W.A. Amateur F.L. - ‘A’ GRADE G/FINAL
September 25 - W.A.F.L. - GRAND FINAL

Clubs playing for: Albany Sharks, Boyup Brook, Broome Saints, Cervantes, Goomalling, Harvey Bulls, Kambalda, Kulin/Kondinin, Kukerin/Dumbleyung, Northampton, Pioneers (Newman), Ports (Esperance) TBC, Railways (Northam), South Mandurah, Southern Saints.

 

[kid_a]

The Broome football days are always lively and great fun, and the Hedland derby always gets a great crowd with lots of atmosphere and pssion, lucky enough to play in a couple and you can definitely feel the difference in the derbies than when we played a club from Karratha. (I played for Swans in 2014).

 

[kid_a]

really look forward to the book

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Yeah can't wait for the book. If you need any help with Upper great southern let me know. Good choice of match in the UGS too.

 

[MortlockWatcher]

Things are progressing well with the trips around W.A. and the book writing - the book will be just over 400 pages at this stage. I am still working on a publisher at this stage but I am still hopeful of a March/April 2017 release for the book.

I initially hoped that I would see 70 games for the season, but that was an understatement as we are currently sitting on 77 games with seven weekends to go. By my reckoning, if the W.A.F.L. don't move their Grand Final from its current Sunday timeslot then the W.A.F.L. League Grand Final will be either game number 100 or 101 for the year.

If the W.A.F.L. move their Grand Final away from the Sunday, then the Onshore Cup will take precedence as I haven't covered one of their matches yet and the 'Bouncing Burley Tour' would then end with the South West F.L. Grand Final from Hands Oval, Bunbury on 25/9.

My remaining games are:
Saturday August 13 - Gascoyne F.A. – Gascoyne Hawks v Ramblers; Warriors v Exmouth (Carnarvon)
Saturday August 20 - Central Kimberley F.L. – Preliminary Final (Fitzroy Crossing)
Saturday August 27 - Ravensthorpe & Dist. F.A. - GRAND FINAL (Ravensthorpe)
Sunday August 28 - W.A. Women’s F.L. - GRAND FINAL (Leederville)
Saturday September 3 - Ongerup F.A. - GRAND FINAL (Lake Grace)
Saturday September 10 - North Midlands F.L. - GRAND FINAL (Dongara)
Sunday September 11 - Upper Great Southern F.L. - GRAND FINAL (Wickepin)
Saturday September 17 - W.A. Amateur F.L. - ‘A’ GRADE GRAND FINAL (Venue TBC)
Saturday September 24 - Onshore Cup - GRAND FINAL (Venue TBC)
Sunday September 25 - W.A.F.L. - GRAND FINAL (Subiaco)

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Great job getting around to all those games.

 

[MortlockWatcher]

Well, I am happy to say that my book, Following The Bouncing Burley, is now being printed and should be ready for sale from Thursday June 29 at a cost of $20 each.

Following the Bouncing Burley will recount my travels around Western Australia, providing a background to the competitions and teams that I saw, reviewing each league match and also looking into some of the issues facing grassroots football, such as population decline, reserves football, player payments and player points systems. In addition, every league ladder and Grand Final result is included to provide a snapshot of the 2016 season.

Following the Bouncing Burley will be officially launched in early July and people coming to Perth for the Landmark Country Championships weekend will be able to purchase copies while they are in town.

Players and supporters of Southerners (Hopetoun), Swan Districts Womens, Newdegate, Dongara, Trinity Aquinas, Busselton Bombers and Peel Thunder will be able to reminisce about their 2016 Grand Final victories and all bar Trinity Aquinas have a full team picture with their premiership spoils.

I will also head back to some of my old clubs on Sunday afternoons during July and August to sell some copies at their home games. These visits will be posted on the WA Footy Traveller Facebook and Twitter pages as soon as these matches are confirmed.

The book will be available from Bunbury SportsPower from July 2 and I am also looking for outlets in other areas of the state to sell copies of the book as well.

A second book, which will be a history of the current grassroots leagues and clubs in the state (both seniors and juniors), is expected to be released in mid-2018.


Email: football@frontiersportsmedia.com
Facebook: WA Footy Traveller
Twitter: @bouncingburley

 

[Garlic muncher]

Well, I am happy to say that my book, Following The Bouncing Burley, is now being printed and should be ready for sale from Thursday June 29 at a cost of $20 each.

Following the Bouncing Burley will recount my travels around Western Australia, providing a background to the competitions and teams that I saw, reviewing each league match and also looking into some of the issues facing grassroots football, such as population decline, reserves football, player payments and player points systems. In addition, every league ladder and Grand Final result is included to provide a snapshot of the 2016 season.

Following the Bouncing Burley will be officially launched in early July and people coming to Perth for the Landmark Country Championships weekend will be able to purchase copies while they are in town.

Players and supporters of Southerners (Hopetoun), Swan Districts Womens, Newdegate, Dongara, Trinity Aquinas, Busselton Bombers and Peel Thunder will be able to reminisce about their 2016 Grand Final victories and all bar Trinity Aquinas have a full team picture with their premiership spoils.

I will also head back to some of my old clubs on Sunday afternoons during July and August to sell some copies at their home games. These visits will be posted on the WA Footy Traveller Facebook and Twitter pages as soon as these matches are confirmed.

The book will be available from Bunbury SportsPower from July 2 and I am also looking for outlets in other areas of the state to sell copies of the book as well.

A second book, which will be a history of the current grassroots leagues and clubs in the state (both seniors and juniors), is expected to be released in mid-2018.


Email: football@frontiersportsmedia.com
Facebook: WA Footy Traveller
Twitter: @bouncingburley

I would love to get a copy - up in Joondalup though ?.

 

[RedVest4]

I heard William Wonka is a big deal around these parts...

 

[William Wonka]

I heard William Wonka is a big deal around these parts...

I am indeed Vesty.
In fact I get away with a bit too much rule bending if truth be told.
This board needs to be taken firmly in hand.

 

[MortlockWatcher]

GM

Send me a message via here or else through the WA Footy Traveller Facebook page and I can give you the details to post the book to you.

 

[ydraw]

My little brother features on the cover! Great book.