Spen Valley Vipers Basketball Club has taken a huge step towards growing female grassroots participation in the game of basketball after securing nearly £7,000 in funding from Sport England.

The grant, from Sport England’s Movement Fund, will allow the club to expand their current girls’ sessions by funding new equipment, recruitment, and further training for coaches. However, a large part of the funding will go towards covering the cost of sports hall hire, which is the club’s biggest cost. This in turn will allow the club to offer free sessions to interested girls across North Kirklees for at least 12 months.

Sessions are currently available for girls aged 9-13 but the club is looking to expand its offering to girls from the age of 6 in the coming months.

A standout success of the Sport England Movement Fund has been its impact on the development of women and girls’ basketball across the country, with more than £270,000 awarded to stand-alone female programmes to date.

This targeted investment has already begun to increase opportunities for girls to engage with and enjoy basketball in friendly, welcoming environments.

Leading the initiative for Spen Valley Vipers is Scott Brant, a current men’s open age player for the club whose daughter has been participating in the current girls’ sessions for the past 18 months.

Scott said: “We have over 80 men and boys representing the club from U12s through to open age but I am really passionate about ensuring that girls know that there are genuine opportunities for them to try basketball if they express even the slightest interest in playing.

“We currently have a mixed boys and girls session due to the costs of sports hall hire but, understandably, there is some apprehension from new girls to come and explore the sport in a mixed environment. This funding will allow us to provide sessions where they can try the sport in a more comfortable environment.

“On the male side basketball has grown significantly country-wide over the last 10 years, but the opportunity for girls to get into the game at grassroots level is currently restricted to pockets around the country. There are good girls’ programmes in Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester but we have seen there is also an appetite for it in Kirklees.”

Spen Valley Vipers was founded in 2010 by brothers Richard and Greg Dolan, which has grown from a few friends playing in the local park to four men’s teams competing regionally and three boys teams from under 12s to under 16s competing in national leagues as a member club of Basketball England.

Though the Spen Valley Vipers girls programme is only in its infancy, the club is exploring entry into under 12 and under 14 league competitions for next season, with the possibility of National Basketball League participation in the future.

Scott finished by saying: “While there is a long-term goal to have a genuine pathway into competitive female basketball, right now our focus is on ensuring young girls in our district know that they can come and try basketball in a relaxed and supportive environment.

“This is a project I am extremely passionate about but I think it’s important for the girls to have a female coach within the setting, so if there are any current or former female players that are looking to get involved in coaching and continuing the growth of the girls game at this exciting time then please do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.”

Spen Valley Vipers will be releasing details of when the free girls sessions will be starting in the coming weeks. If you are interested in attending these sessions and would like to get updates, please contact the club via their website at spenvalleyvipers.co.uk or the dedicated Spen Valley Vipers Girls Facebook Page.