Tribute round for women

Female volunteers and players were made the stars of the show and singled out for special thanks at a first-time tribute round of Karratha Junior Rugby League games at the weekend.

Acknowledging the often behind-the-scenes work done by mothers and other female family members, the league committee dedicated Saturday’s set of games to its female volunteer team for the first time in a special Women in League round.

All money raised from fundraising on the day, including a raffle with prizes given by about 25 local businesses and a food stall run by committee members, was donated to the Karratha Women’s Shelter.

KJRL president Nic Rolle said the idea for the tribute round had been building for a few years.

“It came about because a lot of (their effort) was unrecognised for a long time and women weren’t a big focus in the club environment,” he said.

“So it came about a few years ago when they started building the women’s game as well.

“It just recognises how much at this grassroots level that those mums and women, put into it, especially up here (in Karratha).”

As part of the day, junior players in under-6s and upwards wore pink armbands during their games and coaches spoke to their players about the effort female volunteers put into the club.

KJRL coaching co-ordinator Lenore Chambers said the committee wanted to thank all the women who contributed to their teams. “The day is specifically to acknowledge mothers in league that come down and help,” she said. “They might be a manager of the team, they might be a person that makes the oranges, and it’s just an acknowledgement of mums to say thank you for helping out.”