A basketball court where every girl starts on the same line

Two hours. Girls aged 5 to 12. Every skill level welcome, from never-touched-a-ball to plays-every-weekend.

No experience needed. Next clinic Tuesday 6th October at Illawarra Sports Stadium, Berkeley.

The Hardest Part Is Walking In

Most girls do not avoid basketball because they dislike it. They avoid it because walking into a room full of strangers who all started three years ago is genuinely hard.

That is the barrier we built this clinic to remove.

Girls in the Game is girls only, run by female coaches, and pitched at beginners without boring the girls who already play. Your daughter will not be the only one who has never taken a shot in a game. Half the court is in exactly the same position.

"Basketball's not a very spoken about sport when it comes to girls."
‍Maddie Delaney, Community Engagement Coordinator

The Next Clinic

• Date: Tuesday 6th October 2026
• ‍Time: 1:30pm to 3:30pm
• ‍Location: Illawarra Sports Stadium, Berkeley
• ‍Ages: 5 to 12 years
• ‍Cost: $65.50 per participant
• ‍Experience needed: None

‍

‍

‍

‍What Families Told Us After the Last One

We ran the first Girls in the Game clinic at Shellharbour City Stadium in July, then asked every family what they thought. Across our July holiday programs

• 90% would recommend it to a friend
• 90% would come again
• 85% said it was good value
• 4.7/5 for how the day was run

The kids were asked a different question: what did you enjoy most?

Not one of them mentioned drills. They wrote about game time, about the music, about the pace, and about the girls they met.

What Two Hours Actually Looks Like

No standing in line waiting for a turn. Every girl gets a ball, and the session moves.‍

1. ‍Warm Up Together: Everyone on court at once, ball in hand, moving from the first minute. Names, teams, bibs on.‍
2. Learn the Basics: Dribbling, passing, shooting. Coached in small groups so nobody gets lost in a crowd of thirty.‍
3. Put It Straight Into a Game: The skills go into live game play the same afternoon. This is the bit the kids rate highest, every time.‍
4. Meet the Hawks: Players and coaches from the club come down, take questions, and shoot around. At the July clinic that meant a sit-down Q and A with our captain, Sam Froling.

‍Coached by Women Who Play

Every session is led by female coaches, and that is deliberate. Girls see who they could become far more clearly when the person holding the whistle looks like them.

The coaching team is led by our community program staff and includes NBL1 women's players and specialist skills coaches working with the group all afternoon.

• ‍Maddie Delaney:  Community Engagement Coordinator. Built Girls in the Game after seeing the gap in girls' participation across the region.‍
• Charlotte Giles: NBL1 women's forward and specialist skills coach. Guest coach at the inaugural clinic.

Questions Parents Ask Us

My daughter has never played basketball. Is this too advanced?
‍No. This clinic is built for beginners first. Girls who already play get extra challenge inside the same session, but nobody needs any prior experience to walk in.

Does she need to bring a basketball?
‍No. We supply the balls, the bibs and everything else. Bring a water bottle, comfortable clothes and sports shoes.

Does she need to know anyone?
‍No, and most of them do not. Girls are grouped into teams on arrival, and making new friends came up more often in our feedback than any basketball skill did.

What is the age range, really?
‍5 to 12. Groups are split by age and stage so a five-year-old is never on court against a twelve-year-old.

Can I stay and watch?
‍Yes. Parents are welcome in the stands for the full two hours.

Where is Illawarra Sports Stadium?
‍Berkeley, with parking on site. Full address and arrival details go out by email before the clinic.

What if she does not enjoy it?
‍Nine in ten families told us they would come back. If yours is the exception, we want to hear why. That feedback is how this program gets better.

Why This Program Exists

Three reasons, and we are direct about all three.

• ‍Give girls a court that feels safe: Girls only, female coaches, beginners welcome. No unspoken rule that you need to have started at six.‍
• Show them basketball is their sport too: Basketball does not get talked about as a girls' sport in this region. That is the actual barrier, and it is fixable.‍
• Grow the game across the Illawarra and South Coast: From Corrimal to Berkeley to Shellharbour and further south. More girls playing means more teams, more coaches, and a pathway that goes somewhere.

‍

‍