“20 women, 10 hours of governance conversation and not one dull moment!” is how board governance expert and co-designer of the Courage and Confidence to Lead program Margot Foster AM OLY described the most recent iteration of the program.
Funding received from Sport and Recreation Victoria through the Together More Active grants program allowed Basketball Victoria to partner with Deakin University to deliver the 2024 program after its initial inception in 2019. Twenty women with leadership ambitions in basketball administration and governance took part in the seven in-person sessions hosted at Deakin Downtown.
Topics ranged from the fundamentals of governance and board directorship, confident communication for leaders, strategic planning, finance for basketball boards, child safeguarding, and government relations and networking. Experts from the Victorian sporting landscape were invited to present to the group, including VicSport, the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, the Koorie Heritage Trust, Proud2Play, and Basketball Victoria.
Women and Girls Participation Coordinator Kat Gourley delivered the program and was excited to be able to provide this leadership experience to the program participants.
“It has been an absolute pleasure facilitating Courage and Confidence in 2024. The participants were highly engaged and committed from day one, and the relationships that they have built with each other will stand them in good stead as they continue to support each other on their leadership journeys”.
The partnership with Deakin University has also provided Basketball Victoria an opportunity to identify the current state of play of women’s experiences of leadership within the basketball community. Dr Sarah Reddan, Professor Pamm Phillips, and Dr Jordan Bakhsh facilitated a research focus group at the beginning and the end of the program, the results of which will be used to identify areas where Basketball Victoria can provide more support to current and future women leaders in basketball.
Program participant Sally Kerin described her experience being involved in Courage and Confidence.
“Leadership is not just about guiding others it is also about discovering your own potential, embracing growth, and inspiring positive change. The wonderful leadership program I participated in with Basketball Victoria delivered this, and more!”
Basketball Victoria has recently released a gender equity strategy Power Forward, a key pillar of which is the growth of women holding leadership roles in basketball administration and governance. At present, only 17% of Association presidents are women, and it is our intention to increase this to 40% by 2032. An evaluation of the success of Courage and Confidence will allow us to closely align the outcomes of the program with the objectives within the Power Forward strategy, ensuring that women and girls continue to play key roles in our sport both on and off the court.
In 2025 a networking event will be held in collaboration with Basketball Australia to bring the 2019 and the 2024 program participants together, allowing them to share their stories and experiences, and continue to progress the opportunities for women in basketball administration.
