Women’s basketball was once underfunded and overlooked, and is now growing rapidly and gaining the respect it deserves. While it still has a way to go, the progress made reflects wider changes in attitudes towards women’s sport.
In the past, women’s basketball often lacked funding, media coverage and access to quality facilities. Ex-England women’s basketball player Katharine Carpenter, 54, spoke about her experience playing basketball in her day. She said, “The facilities were very limited, and we didn’t get any funding. Everything had to be paid for yourself.”
There are several women’s basketball teams across the southwest of England; there was a time when there weren’t. Katharine talks about her time competing in Plymouth, saying, “There was no one that we could play against in Plymouth, as a girls’ team, so we travelled. There was a team in Frome and Basingstoke that was the closest. We used to travel to Liverpool and Preston.” This, of course, would have become quite costly. Cost problems grew when she represented England, she said, “Our training took place in Derby, so every other weekend my parents had to pay for travel on the train. It worked out extremely expensive.” Today, that is very different. In the 24/25 season, the Super League Basketball (SLB) invested over £15 million to build a better foundation for professional play.
Facilities and grassroots programmes have improved opportunities for young players in schools and their own clubs, engaging more girls in the sport and expanding its reach. With Katherine’s experience, she said, “When I first played for England, there was only one other girl. So, to get some practice and compete at that higher level, we had to play on a boys’ team. Luckily, the coaches of the boys’ basketball teams were really supportive and allowed us to play. We were the only 2 girls who played in the boys’ league. Which didn’t go down very favourably with the boys!”
Katharine is glad the sport is growing and hopes it continues to grow. She describes it as “an opportunity to challenge yourself, overcome emotions and be great for your well-being.” She says, “now having been a teacher, I wish all students had that opportunity of experimenting and finding the sport they love. It’s made a massive difference to me!”