Live streaming has revolutionised the way athletes are recruited from the bush, with local games now watched across the country and beyond.
The accessibility and affordability of the technology means it is no longer necessary for regional sportspeople to travel hundreds of kilometres to capture the attention of talent scouts.
Instead, clubs in regional areas such as WA's Midwest have started streaming weekend games to audiences of thousands.
Geraldton Year 11 student and aspiring sports broadcaster James Gardiner said streaming international sports like basketball could help regional athletes access opportunities overseas.
"Growing up in a regional town you always think that you're at a bit of a disadvantage to those in the big city," he said.
"The streaming that has been provided here in Geraldton with the basketball and the football, it opens new doors and opportunities.
"You could have this talent scout, sitting over in America watching a basketball game, pick [you] out for college in the next month."
But Gardiner said there were some downsides to streaming local games.
"People wouldn't go to the local footy or the local basketball because they can sit at home and watch it on their laptop or their iPad and so as a result, it may have an effect on club finances with the canteen and gate takings," he said.
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Australia, but Geraldton Cricket Association board member Jayden Pinto said development opportunities could be hard to come by.
"[Cricket Australia] have been really trying very hard to streamline and ease the burden on rural, talented youth to be able to come through and progress their game as early as possible into higher levels," he said.
"Having the stream there, and the ability to be able to watch the games of players gives them a lot more facility to be able to see the scope of how they play day in, day out."
Pinto said while statistics in cricket told part of the story, nothing beat the footage.
"The ability to watch their actual technique and how they carried themselves through the game gives an idea of the character and discipline of the player as well as their level of technique and skill that they've generated," he said.
Community stays connected
Pinto said streaming had expanded the community around local clubs.
He said it helped the 60,000 fly-in, fly-out workers in WA stay connected while away from home.
"We've had messages from former associate members from Texas that were tuning into one of the games and cheering us on," he said.
Bowls WA began streaming through mobile phones and now streams local and country competitions through a professional production team, with the 2023 Men's State Final attracting nearly 10,000 viewers.
Bowls WA President Doug Kelly said the data available from streaming could help attract local businesses as sponsors.
"We can see the numbers of how many people are watching it. We can show [sponsors] the numbers to say, 'This is your exposure'," he said.
