By BACT Media Unit – 21 October 2024

Basketball ACT has been named as a grant recipient of the Australian Government’s Play Our Way Program, supported by the Department of Health and Aged Care, that is aimed at removing barriers to women playing sport, reducing discrimination, and promoting equality.

Basketball ACT’s Play Your Way submission was successful in securing over $400k of funding over three years. The submission detailed a comprehensive and ambitious strategy aimed at advancing female participation in basketball across all levels and abilities, demonstrating a strong commitment to making meaningful strides towards gender equality, and empowering women and girls to realise their full potential in our sport.

Basketball ACT’s Play Our Way Program commences in 2025 and will deliver activities and programs that cater for women and girls facing barriers to participation in sport and physical activity, particularly those in priority populations who are First Nations peoples, and/or are culturally and linguistically diverse, and/or have a disability. Additional elements will focus on key outcomes that will aim to increase and improve female involvement across other roles in basketball such as Board membership, coaching, officiating, administration, as well as participation activities.

When discussing Basketball ACT’s successful application, CEO, Nicole Bowles said, “The proposed women and girls’ participation program holds significant potential for long-term impact by empowering female athletes to pursue their basketball goals and aspirations. Through targeted coaching, skill development, and competitive opportunities, we aim to foster a supportive and inclusive environment where women and girls feel valued and empowered to excel in basketball. By promoting participation at all levels of the sport, from grassroots to elite, we seek to create pathways for female athletes to thrive and succeed in their athletic endeavours.”

Ms Bowles went on to say, “Development and delivery of these focused programs will allow Basketball ACT to gain valuable insights into their impact on participants’ confidence, social connections, and overall well-being, allowing for ongoing refinement and improvement of the project deliverables. Basketball ACT will also be able to implement strategies to measure the impact of its women and girls’ program by focusing on participants’ continued engagement within the basketball environment, that will reach beyond the funding period.”

The Play Our Way Program, is a $200 million Australian Government program that will run over three (3) years from 2024–27, aimed at providing local solutions and improvements that address participation barriers faced by women and girls. Over 660 grant applications were received from across Australia, with 120 organisations announced as successful recipients for Phase 1 funding ($55m) on 27 September 2024.  When announcing the Play Our Way Program’s first phase of funding, the Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher, Minister for Women said, “This grant funding will make an enormous difference in the lives of women and girls who might otherwise miss out on being able to play the sport they love.”