Basketball Victoria extends its deepest sympathies to the friends and family of Betty Watson OAM, who sadly passed away yesterday.
Basketball Victoria Life Member Betty Watson OAM, aged 97, was an extraordinary advocate for advancing our sport – especially for women and girls - across Victoria, Australia and the world.
Her legacy in basketball is immeasurable as Betty’s tireless work over half a century has elevated basketball to where it is today.
In an era when women were rarely given a chance in sport, Betty championed the cause to ensure Australian women would always have a pathway in basketball, no matter their age group or level of ability.
In 1942 Betty played against the American nurses stationed in Melbourne in a series of basketball games, giving her a taste for the sport and a desire to bring women’s basketball to Victoria in an enduring manner.
She became the first president of the Victorian Women’s Basketball Council and the Australian Women’s Basketball Council, spearheading Australian basketball’s push towards equal opportunity. Betty was a perennial fixture at Australian Championships as a team manager for the Victorian women’s team and was the Australian team leader at the 1957 World Championship held in Brazil. She continued to champion women’s basketball at all levels throughout her life.
Alongside her husband Ken, Betty was also pivotal in the founding of the Australian Junior Championships that have given junior basketball stars across Australia their first taste of elite basketball.
She was awarded Basketball Victoria Life Membership in 1978 and continued to be honoured throughout her life by several organisations. In 1997, Betty received a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the development of women’s basketball in Australia, is a life member of the Women’s National Basketball League. She is also named on the Victorian Honour Roll of Women as further acknowledgement of her extraordinary contribution to our sport.
She was elevated to legend the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 – one of only six people to this day - and was also named a life member of both Basketball Australia and the WNBL.
Her outstanding contribution to basketball in this country is also celebrated each year with two prestigious accolades. At our Basketball Victoria Awards each year, the Female Player of the Year is awarded the Betty Watson Medal, while the WNBL also named their Rookie of the Year Award in her honour.
Basketball Victoria Life Member Elaine Hardwick said the legacy of Betty Watson can’t be easily expressed as she was an incredible advocate, friend and role model to everyone who met her.
“Women’s basketball didn’t exist in Australia until Betty,” Hardwick said. “It wasn’t easy in the early years for the women to exist in basketball – we copped quite a lot of setbacks from the male administrators at the time.
“But Betty fought tooth and nail to get women’s basketball under way. It was her strength of character really, she had this terrific attitude, treated everyone with respect and she never gave up – she was a real fighter for women’s basketball.
“She had a phenomenal impact on everyone - I think you’ll find if you spoke to anyone about Betty today or read the comments that the girls have written it speaks volumes to the person she was.
“She had this gift of knowing what to say and when to say it and wasn’t frightened to say it if necessary – she was a very strong character, but totally honest.
“Everybody loved her – she had everyone’s respect and if you read all the messages, most of those girls who have put the messages in have been away with Betty and we’ll preserve her legacy forever.”
Basketball Victoria board member, former Opal and WNBL champion Tracey Browning said Betty’s strength and resilience were important to paving the way for future female players, coaches and administrators in all of women’s sport.
“I’ve known her since I was a little girl and she was always an inspirational woman,” Browning said. “She was very strong - back in those days you had to be quite strong to get a women’s league started. “From there it grew from eight teams, grew into state league and from there you can see how Australian women’s basketball has gone from strength to strength.
“She was so proud of watching the Opals and seeing them succeed on the world stage - she loved nothing more than watching the WNBL and the Opals.
“For me personally it was great to see a woman like that in action and knowing there’s a pathway for women in sport – not just in basketball but for all women in sport.
“She’s made an enormous impact on a state and national level – she was a fantastic advocate for women’s basketball – and women’s sport across the board – as she worked her way onto committees and boards and was a trailblazer not just for women playing basketball, but also to become coaches, board members and administrators in the game too.”
Basketball Victoria CEO Nick Honey said Betty’s legacy on our sport will never be forgotten and cannot be understated across her time in Victorian basketball.
“It’s an incredibly sad day for the Victorian basketball community,” Honey said. “Basketball in Victoria and Australia would not exist in its current form without her dedication to giving everyone a chance to play.
“Betty was the original champion for women’s basketball in a time where women were not given opportunities to compete in sport.
“Her incredible work ensured female players of all ages can rise through the ranks of basketball and excel wherever their desires would take them.
“Basketball Victoria and the entire Australian basketball community is indebted to Betty Watson and her extraordinary contribution to our sport across her incredible life.”
Betty’s razor-sharp wit, luminescent smile and unwavering passion for women to excel in all levels of basketball will never be forgotten, and we’ll work tirelessly to ensure her legacy is enshrined within our game.
In honour of Betty's incredible contribution to Victorian basketball, all Big V and NBL1 South teams will wear black armbands in her honour and we encourage all VJBL teams to be part of this tribute to Betty as well.
Vale.
