The Dress Blessing is a long running tradition for Fever, taking place before the season begins to recognise the land the players compete and live on, and bless the dresses the girls will wear for the season.
This year the Fever squad is full of interstate and international athletes, all of whom were thrilled to learn about the Traditional Owners of the land they are on, the Whadjuk Noongar people.
John Maguire gave the Welcome to Country and performed the Smoking Ceremony and Dress Blessing alongside Barry Winmar.
The team were asked to individually bless their dresses in the smoke as they reflected on the year to come and learnt some valuable phrases in Noongar language.
Captain Jess Anstiss said it’s important to the team to be connected to culture and who came before them.
“This year we have such a new and diverse team, ceremonies like this are another way for us to strengthen our connection to Country and to each other,” Anstiss said.
Head Coach Dan Ryan explained that the Dress Blessing is one of the most important parts of Fever’s pre-season campaign.
“The concept of the Dress Blessing is all about the protection of what our year looks like, knowing that we have the backing of the wider community around us and the support to face any challenges that come our way,” Ryan said.
“This morning was a moment of reflection, in high performance you don’t get that very often, so we took a moment to be grounded and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going.”
Don’t miss out on Fever’s first home game of the season against the Lightning on April 21 at RAC Arena.
