Kicking Goals at Ken Wyatt Cup 2021

More than 130 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls recently participated in Wirrpanda Foundation’s Deadly Sista Girlz 2021 Ken Wyatt Cup – a round-robin football carnival, running alongside a careers expo featuring 25 industry and tertiary institution stalls. Now in its fifth year, this event celebrates and empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls through sport and education.

The girls arrived in the morning eager to compete in the carnival but full of the usual pregame nerves. The weather report promised rain, but the skies quickly cleared for what would be a stunning day of fine weather and exceptional footy competition.

The Carnival was officially opened by Troy Cook, Wirrpanda Foundation General Manager of Community Development and AFL legend, following a warming Welcome to Country by Marie Taylor. The girls were unified by their Deadly Sista Girlz pledge before the competition began. This acknowledged that while they come from different schools and nations they stand together as Sista Girls.

On the field the girls displayed skill, talent and teamwork as each school worked towards the goal of taking home the Ken Wyatt Cup.

At half time Gilmore College Deadly Sista Girl said, “The best part of the day is playing the game with the girls and having good sportsmanship with the other schools.”

Off the field the girls were able to explore the careers expo, having a yarn with representatives from 25 different businesses and tertiary educators, including Officeworks, Western Power and Edith Cowan University. For some, this was a whole new experience allowing them to see the array of potential career opportunities open to them. For others, this was a way of meeting with representatives from industries that align with their existing career goals. 

When chatting to Deadly Sista Girlz mentor Sara Riches she said “The Careers expo was a great opportunity for the girls to see indigenous people in a range of workplaces”

Getting inspired and feeling empowered to explore a variety of job opportunities is what this event was all about.

Wirrpanda Foundation General Manager of Education, Carly Davis said the Ken Wyatt Cup provides an important engagement opportunity for participants.

“We are really proud to provide these opportunities to girls from 12 different schools and it’s great to see them all come together to have some fun.”

At the end of the day staff and students felt connected and inspired. Fremantle College proudly took out the win but ultimately everyone got something out of the day, whether it was enjoying playing footy of finding the right career pathway for them.

For more information about this program visit the Deadly Sista Girlz page.