Busselton Cougars take to national stage

Busselton softball players will be ambassadors for the region when they take part in the Australian Masters Games in Geelong this month.

A group of 19 Busselton Cougars players will compete in the over-35 category against 34 teams from all across Australia.

Cougars president Raelene Oates said as well as playing hard on the field, they would also be promoting Busselton off the field.

“We believe everyone who lives here can be ambassadors for our town so we will be taking some boxes of the Geographe Bay Tourism Association visitor guides, packed full of great photos, attractions and the map to give to the players we compete against, as well as anyone we meet at the games’ social events,” she said.

“We have also created something special to wear at the opening ceremony with 19 shirts screen printed each with a section of the Busselton Jetty on them, so when we stand together, we create Busselton’s iconic 1.8km Jetty.”

The Busselton Softball Association players will be coached by Dave Boyle.

The group has been fundraising to help pay for airfares, accommodation and transport.

Team manager Michelle Mills said the players had been appreciative of the support they had received from Busselton businesses and residents and wanted to make sure they gave back to the town by promoting what they believe was the best place in the world.

She said hopefully the move would bring more tourism dollars to the region.

The team has also made contact with Tourism WA, Eventscorp and the Busselton Chamber of Commerce to see if Busselton can host a future WA or Australian Masters Games.