Illawarra women's wheelchair basketball receives a $50k boost

Didem Yildrim has high hopes a grant for Illawarra Wheelchair Basketball Inc will tempt more women onto the court.

Didem, who has played for 15 years, is one of the recipients of three new specifically designed chairs for female players, thanks to $50,000 from the Australian Government’s Play Our Way Program.

“I love the sport; it keeps me happy, and I’m really excited about this grant,” Didem said.

“The new chair is one of the fastest, and it’s custom-made for me.

“I’m pretty fast as it is but this is the best you can get.

“We need more women to play; we are a smaller community and I’d love to have some more girls to chat to.”

Illawarra Wheelchair Basketball Inc was selected to receive funding under stream two of the Australian Government’s $200 million Play Our Way program, which is designed to remove barriers to women and girls participating in sport and physical activity.

IWB will use the money to purchase three basketball wheelchairs specifically made for and dedicated to female participants, as well as a patient hoist to assist in transferring participants from their day chairs to the basketball wheelchairs.

Didem said the cost of chairs tailored for sport could stop some women from having the chance to play.

“The last chair I had was given to me years ago; it wasn’t custom-made and it cost about $10,000 originally,” she said.

“That’s as much as a car, plus the cost of maintenance, and travel and accommodation to compete.

“We really want more women to give it a try, so we have chairs at the stadium in Shellharbour to try out and see which are suited to them.”

President of Illawarra Wheelchair Basketball, Geoff Adams said having a variety of chairs available for new players to try was critical to give everyone an opportunity to get on the court.

“We’re thrilled to be the recipient of this grant through the Play Our Way program,” he said.

“It is important that we have a selection of chairs for new players that are the right fit for anyone who wants to play the game and these chairs are fully adjustable and can be customised to suit the needs of a player no matter their impairment or body shape.

“Having the right equipment for new players, including female players is essential to ensuring their experience is an enjoyable one and to encourage them to keep coming back.

“I want to thank the Federal Government, including our local member Alison Byrnes, for helping make our great sport more accessible to more people and our hub manager Brian Gardner for applying for this grant and sourcing the equipment.”

Member for Cunningham Alison Byrnes said she was excited to see the growth of the women’s side.

“The success of our Wollongong Roller Hawks is a major source of pride in our region, and I can’t wait to see this project foster a new generation of female players in the sport,” she said.

“Every person has the right to enjoy sport, in their own way and at the level that suits them.”

IWB is just one of the many groups around the nation which will receive Play Our Way funding for participation programs, or new or modified equipment suitable for women and girls across a range of sports and physical activity programs.

More than 660 applications for funding were received. Funding is being offered to initiatives nationwide, with a focus on women and girls who face additional barriers to participation. This includes First Nations women and girls, women and girls with disability or who are from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Any women keen to give wheelchair basketball a try are encouraged to contact Geoff on 0405 193 281, or via email at [email protected]

Find more information on the Play Our Way grant opportunity.