Basketball NSW is proud to share that Chief Executive Officer, Maria Nordstrom was awarded the Champion award at the Office of Sport, Her Sport Her Way Awards for 2022 on Monday.
The Champion Award recognises a woman for her outstanding achievements during 2022, as a coach, official, administrator or leader, and a commitment to furthering opportunities for women and girls to participate.
The following information shares a glimpse into the hard work & dedication Maria has shown in truly making a difference in the lives of our basketball communities.
Office of Sport Statement:
Maria had an exceptional 2022 as a key driver of the record-breaking 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney last September. Maria was a Director of the Local Organising Committee and led the Legacy Committee.
The impact of the World Cup was monumental nationally and globally and will be for many years to come. It had the highest attendance ever in the history of the competition and it was first time that FIBA recorded a profit from the tournament.
The tournament created new benchmarks for women’s basketball with a broadcast audience of 210 million, an increase of 130 per cent compared with 2018, and this also equated to a five-fold increase in social media from 2018.
Maria committed BNSW to increasing the engagement of young women in all levels of basketball, including those from rural and remote areas, as well as Aboriginal athletes and wheelchair athletes.
By the end of 2022 the BNSW “I am a Girl” program had over 4,200 new participants and the Leadership Scholarship Program had 314 additional women.
Young girls from all over NSW were invited to experience the sport at the FIBA World Cup, with past Olympians running skills clinics and encouraging young girls to continue their involvement in the sport.
Under Maria’s leadership and strategic direction, Basketball NSW has made a remarkable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic with a record 85,000 registered members in 2022.
There has been a significant increase in the numbers of young women attending coaching clinics and taking on administrative roles, such as trained statisticians and score table officials.
Maria’s efforts to partner with associations, councils and State Government were instrumental in gaining funding to make local facilities more female friendly in metro and regional NSW. Her commitment to this space has also seen 42 new courts completed across NSW.
On behalf of the Board and Staff at Basketball NSW, we would like to formally congratulate CEO, Maria Nordstrom on this momentous achievement.
About Her Sport Her Way:
Her Sport Her Way is a four-year (2019-2023) strategy that aims to build a stronger NSW sport and recreation sector where women and girls are valued, recognised and have equal choices and opportunities to lead and participate.
It provides a clear role for the NSW Government to work with the sector and new partners in innovative ways to shape the future of women’s sport. The NSW Government is seeking to support and tell the stories of those who are developing innovative approaches to engaging women and girls at any level of their sport. We want to improve the visibility of women in sport as players and leaders. We want to normalise female participation and inspire young girls to achieve their dreams on and off the field.
Learn more by clicking HERE.
