Self-confessed ‘football nut’ Derek Mott is set to embark on a football season with a difference in April when he spends 26 weekends travelling to all parts of the state during 2016, which will form the basis for a book on grassroots football in Western Australia, which is expected to be released in 2017.

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

Mott’s schedule is to consist of 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).

In order to visit every league, Mott will travel to matches by plane, car and train. The season will involve flights to Kununurra, Port Hedland, Newman, Adelaide and two flights to Broome – no mean feat for a self-confessed ‘nervous flyer’.

In a twist, Mott will play one-off matches for more than a dozen clubs during his travels from the start of the season until clearances close at the end of June. In addition, he will umpire some games and also act as an official for the W.A. Country team in Adelaide.

Mott will also be involved in the broadcast of up to a dozen matches via a live audio broadcast with colleague Jacob Landsmeer during the season. The pair called Mortlock Football League matches on a weekly basis in seasons 2014 and 2015. The broadcast matches will be confirmed prior to the start of the season and the matches will be available for listening as podcasts via the WA Footy Traveller Facebook page.

Mott credits Paul Daffey’s book Local Rites as the inspiration to undertake this project, as well as providing the opportunity to highlight grassroots football in the state for its role in producing A.F.L. talent and also the role that the sport plays in urban and rural communities.

The season schedule can be found on the following page.
You can follow his exploits on:
Facebook: WA FOOTY TRAVELLER
Twitter: @BOUNCINGBURLEY

Should you have any queries, I can be contact Derek Mott
Phone: 0478 006 636
Email: football@frontiersportsmedia.com
Website: www.frontiersportsmedia.com

The full schedule is as follows:
Saturday April 2 BOYUP BROOK v Kojonup Boyup Brook
Sunday April 3 SOUTHERN SAINTS v TBC Noranda (TBC)
Saturday April 9 SOUTH MANDURAH v Halls Head Falcon
Saturday April 16 Bunbury v Carey Park / South Bunbury v H-B-L Bunbury (Double Header)
Sunday April 17 HARVEY BULLS v Eaton Boomers Harvey
Sunday April 23 CERVANTES v Moora Cervantes
Sunday April 24 Mundaring v Parkerville Mundaring
Saturday April 30 Towns v Bombers; Cable Beach v Bidyadanga;
SAINTS v Looma Broome (Triple Header)
Saturday May 7 NORTHAMPTON v Mullewa Northampton
Saturday May 14 Tigers v Lakes Ravensthorpe
Sunday May 15 GOOMALLING v Gingin Goomalling
Friday May 20 Fortescue N.F.L. – Match TBC Venue TBC
Saturday May 21 Centrals v Tigers / Saints v PIONEERS Newman (Double Header)
Friday May 27 Port Hedland Rovers v South Hedland Swans Port Hedland
Sunday May 29 KUKERIN/DUMBLEYUNG v Narrogin Hawks Dumbleyung
Saturday June 4 (or Sat July 9) W.A. Amateur F.L. – Match TBC Venue TBC
Sunday June 5 York v RAILWAYS York
Monday June 6 South Fremantle v East Fremantle Fremantle
Saturday June 11 Western Australia v Tasmania Bassendean
Sunday June 12 Narembeen v KULIN/KONDININ Narembeen
Saturday June 18 Great Southern Colts Carnival Lake Grace
Sunday June 19 Northern Regions Colts Carnival Wongan Hills
Saturday June 25 Newdegate v Lake Grace/Pingrup Newdegate
Sunday June 26 ALBANY v Mount Barker Albany
Saturday July 2 Mines Rovers v Railways Kalgoorlie
Sunday July 3 KAMBALDA v Kalgoorlie Kambalda
Sunday July 10 Landmark Country Football Championships Finals Venue TBC
Saturday July 16 PORTS v Gibson Esperance
Saturday July 23 East Kimberley F.L. – Preliminary Final Venue TBC
Sunday July 31 S.A. Country v W.A. Country Adelaide
Saturday August 6 Nannup Tigers v Busselton Bombers Nannup
Saturday August 13 Gascoyne F.A. – Match TBC Venue TBC
Sunday August 14 Metro F.L. – Match TBC Venue TBC
Sunday August 21 Central Kimberley F.L. – Preliminary Final Fitzroy Crossing
Saturday August 27 Central Wheatbelt F.L. - GRAND FINAL Kalannie
Sunday August 28 W.A. Women’s F.L. - GRAND FINAL Venue TBC
Saturday September 3 W.A. Amateur F.L. – ‘B’ Grade Preliminary Final Venue TBC
Saturday September 10 North Midlands F.L. - GRAND FINAL Venue TBC
Saturday September 17 W.A. Amateur F.L. - ‘A’ GRADE GRAND FINAL Venue TBC
Sunday September 25 W.A.F.L. - GRAND FINAL Subiaco
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.