Grit For Girls: Empowering the Next Generation of Female Leaders in Basketball

GRIT FOR GIRLS

Grit For Girls is a ground-breaking new program designed to support, empower and educate girls in basketball, both on and off the court. Developed by sports psychologist Karen Haddad, a former NSW junior, this program has been purposefully written to address the real-life gaps in support for girls in basketball.

Drawing on Karen’s lived experience and professional expertise, Grit For Girls is the first program of its kind in basketball, created to offer practical tools and additional support to young women navigating the sporting pathway today.

The program is built around four key modules:

• Mental Health in Sport
• Motivation in Sport
• Barriers in Sport –  dealing with negative thoughts, body image.
• Performance Enhancement – Goal setting, growth mindset.

Each module explores the unique challenges and opportunities faced by females in basketball, equipping participants with evidence-based strategies and the confidence to thrive in their sporting journeys.

Through interactive workshops and applied on-court learning, girls develop strategies to navigate negative self-talk, body image pressures and the balance between sport, school and social expectations. The recommended age group is 13+ years and above a critical stage where identity, confidence and long-term participation habits are shaped.

Importantly, Grit for Girls adopts a whole-of-environment approach. While centred on female participants , the program also includes dedicated modules for parents and guardians, encouraging meaningful involvement and reinforcing key concepts beyond the training environment. By engaging the broader support network, the program strengthens consistency in messaging and helps create psychologically safe and supportive basketball settings.

Whether you’re an athlete, referee, coach, or parent, Grit For Girls offers a powerful opportunity to develop resilience, build confidence, and shape a more inclusive and supportive future for women’s basketball, from the inside out.

Research consistently shows that girls drop out of organised sport at higher rates during adolescence. Confidence can decline, external pressures increase and competing demands begin to outweigh the enjoyment of participation. Grit for Girls has been designed to address these challenges by equipping participants with practical tools to better understand their mental wellbeing, manage pressure, set meaningful goals and build a growth mindset.

Grit for Girls is FREE and available online through etrainu, allowing participants to complete modules at their own pace and receive a certificate of completion. Delivery options are also available for schools, basketball associations, representative programs and community groups across NSW, with flexible formats tailored to suit different environments. Program access and associated fees are determined based on delivery model and setting.

Retaining girls in sport strengthens the entire basketball community. When participants feel capable and supported, they are more likely to continue their involvement and contribute positively as players, teammates and, in time, future coaches, officials and leaders within the game.

Basketball NSW acknowledges and celebrates every female involved in our game, from participants and athletes to coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers. Programs such as Grit for Girls form part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the whole athlete and strengthening female participation pathways across the state.

For more information about Grit for Girls, please contact Nicole Foran at nicole.foran@bnsw.com.au.

ENROL