Breaking basketball barriers

Senior Women’s Big V athletes Oriana Siamoa and Kayonna Lee, Broadmeadows MP Kathleen Matthews-Ward, Kalkallo MP Ros Spence, Broadmeadows Basketball Association President Peter Jackson, Youth Women’s Big V athlete Reyana Guzel and Broadmeadows Basketball Association Basketball Development Officer Alex McKellar. (Supplied)

Hannah Hammoud

The Broadmeadows Basketball Association will run a ‘No Hoopla’ basketball initiative aimed at engaging more women in Hume to get involved in sport.

The program is part of the Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program, which provided 104 community sporting organisations a share in over $500,000 of funding collectively.

Broadmeadows Basketball Association received a $5,000 grant to provide fuss-free basketball for women, offering an approachable entry-point for females to participate in the sport.

‘No Hoopla’ aims to engage women residing in one of Victoria’s most socially disadvantaged and culturally diverse areas in free, weekly and flexible basketball programs.

The project will cater for all ages and abilities to address and overcome participation barriers, with a focus on sustained and ongoing engagement post-program.

Broadmeadows Basketball Association General Manager, Luke Lehmann said women’s basketball is growing in popularity both at the community and elite levels.

“We want to run this program to engage females in sport which is an area that most sports and associations are working to break into,” he said.

“We want to break down the barriers to sport for females from socially disadvantaged and culturally diverse areas to provide an opportunity for them to get onto the court and participate.”

The program offers grants of up to $10,000 for initiatives that foster participation, build capability and celebrate women and girls in sport. This year, funding was split into three streams; Attract and Participate, Capability and Leadership, and Celebrate and Elevate.