Basketball ACT’s (“BACT”) Inclusive Basketball Program aims to provide opportunities that promote diversity and empower people, particularly those that identify as same sex attracted and gender diverse, to participate in basketball. Part one of the program will also be used as an engagement mechanism that provides support and promotes basketball’s attitude towards making our sport safe and inclusive for all.

“Basketball is a sport for all. As one of the largest leading sports locally, nationally and internationally, and with opportunities for girls and women, boys and men, people of all backgrounds and abilities, same sex attracted and gender diverse, it is truly a sport for everyone. The Inclusive Basketball Program will underpin that principle,” said BACT CEO Maxwell Gratton.

The Inclusive Basketball Program will be implemented over 6 stages, with BACT undertaking an Inclusive Survey for Stage 1, targeted towards persons 18 years of age or over.

Stage 1 – BACT Inclusive Basketball Survey (completed in 2015).

Stage 2 – Analyse Survey findings & develop strategies based on feedback.

Stage 3 – Implement strategies in consultation with program stakeholders.

Stage 4 – Deliver and promote strategies in consultation with program stakeholders.

Stage 5 – Program evaluation.

Stage 6 – Undertake a second survey to identify if attitudes in the basketball community have changed positively and to measure if there has been an improvement in BACT being an environment that is inclusive and supportive of same sex attracted and gender diverse people.

The Inclusive Basketball Survey aims to understand and establish a benchmark on current attitudes towards those who identify as same sex attracted and gender diverse in the basketball community. The survey also seeks feedback from the basketball community on how BACT can make the sport more inclusive and supportive for all.

The Inclusive Survey has now closed for submissions. Watch this space for results!

Please note that the survey is only intended for those who are 18 years of age and above.

The Inclusive survey results have been analysed and are soon to be presented.

Pride In Sport
Basketball ACT has also signed up to a membership with “Pride in Sport”. Pride in Sport is Australia’s first and only sporting inclusion program specifically designed to assist National and State sporting organisations (NSO/SSO’s) and clubs with the inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and intersex (LGBTI) employees, players, volunteers and spectators.

The Pride in Sport Index (PSI) is the first and only bench-marking instrument specifically designed to assess the inclusion of LGBTI people within Australian sport and sporting organisations. Basketball ACT will be implementing an action plan in correlation with the PSI in order to satisfy and go beyond requirements of the bench-marking instrument.

Basketball ACT is currently in the early stages of including an indigenous component into our inclusive program. More information coming soon!