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Boots for the Boys: Emmanuel Catholic College students collect boots for Indigenous communities

Bryce LuffFremantle Gazette

A GROUP of high school students are collecting football boots to donate to players in Indigenous communities.

The Emmanuel Catholic College students were inspired while on an immersion program to Warmun in the Kimberley region earlier this year.

“We were lucky enough to watch one of the last football carnivals of the year,” student Joe Waters said.

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“Our Warmun team had so much talent, but were disadvantaged from the moment they stepped on the field (because) only a few had football boots.”

That encouraged students to set up Boots for the Boys, with an aim to even the playing field by donating boots to the players that need them.

“Football is such a huge part of the indigenous culture in the Kimberley,” he said.

“Boots or no boots, they would never miss a chance to play our great game.

“Two of the players had football boots and they were shared around so everyone had the opportunity to play in them and this made me realise just how much they would appreciate being able to play football in some boots.”

Joe said the group has managed to gather 40 pairs of boots thanks to the help of the local school community, plus donations from St Jerome’s Primary School, Mater Christi Primary School and from the public.

“We hope to send the first lot of boots within the next month or so but we plan to collect more next year to send to other communities that may be in need,” he said.

For information search Boots for the Boys on Facebook.