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29 October 2025  5 min read

Her World, Her Rules clubs ready to inspire more girls into basketball

As part of the campaign City of Birmingham Rockets, Reading Rockets, Mansfield Giants and the London Lions Foundation have been selected as lead delivers, with each club’s activities expected to reach 200 participants.  

FIBA has contributed £14,000 to promote and develop women’s and girls’ basketball in England, with 1500 girls set to enjoy and participate in events across BE’s 10 regions. 

Basketball England Participation Project Officer Chloe Burdett said: 

“I'm really excited to be working on this campaign for the third season in a row. Every year, we get the chance to collaborate with new schools, clubs, and organisations, and it’s fantastic to see just how many people want to get involved to kickstart new girls’ sessions or expand existing programmes. 

“We’ve received such positive feedback from previous deliverers, and it’s been amazing to see the impact these events can have across regions, with participants turning into regular players and, in some cases, even progressing into young leaders or officials. 

“This year, we want to take things one step further by supporting clubs with an online toolkit that they can use after their activation is complete. This will include guidance on areas such as accessing funding, safeguarding girls in sport, and coaching tips to make sessions more engaging and accessible. 

“We’re also working to maximise the reach of 3x3. It’s such an accessible and fun version of the game and a great way for clubs to start or grow sessions, even with smaller numbers.” 

London Lions Women's GM Ruchae Walton (far left) and Oaklands Wolves guard Shanice Beckford-Norton (second in from right) deliver a Her World, Her Rules clinic in 2024.

The lead events 

City of Birmingham Rockets has already started delivering weekly sessions and is planning to host girls-only 3x3 festivals during half-term breaks. 

Its participants will be encouraged to join the club’s girls training and community sessions, including its own central venue league for girls.  

It also plans to develop more female coaching staff.  

City of Birmingham Rockets Technical Director Paul Douglas said: 

“The aim is to expand our girls’ sessions and teams to be led by female staff.  

“We want to develop relationships with local schools and community groups and use players from our women’s and WEABL teams to encourage more girls to play basketball, both 5v5 and 3x3, eventually leading them into our community and performance programmes.” 

Reading Rockets will be running weekly girls-only sessions for ages 8-16 and create a pathway for players to continue their basketball after HWHR.  

It will also be running girls-only clinics at schools during the academic year.  

Reading Rockets Director of Community Programmes Stephanie Johnson said: 

“We’re aiming to increase participation of girls in sport and develop female leaders of the future. We want to make sure HWHR is not just a campaign but a catalyst for long-term change in our community by encouraging physical activity and confidence in girls and young women.” 

The London Lions Foundation led by Lions Women’s Head Coach Kyla Nelson and General Manager Ruchae Walton will deliver a day of coaching, games, drills and mini-tournaments for over 200 girls, involving schools across East London, before being invited to watch a Lions Women's SLBW game.  

GM Walton said:

"I’m really excited for the Lions to be a part of the Her World Her Rules campaign. It fully embodies what we are trying to build, giving young girls the opportunity to be exposed to basketball. The plan is to inspire and hopefully kickstart their love for the game."

Mansfield Giants plan to deliver a session linked to their U16 girls programme to schools in Mansfield, Newark, Sherwood and Ashfield.  

Expand initiatives for women and girls 

Committed to making real and lasting change to diversity and inclusion, BE has highlighted women and girls’ basketball as an area of underrepresentation in the sport, with less than 20% of its members female. 

As stated in its Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, BE will expand women and girls’ initiatives across new age groups and regions, with year-on-year growth and retention metrics tracked.? 

BE has been delivering HWHR workshops since 2023, bringing basketball to over 2000 participants. 

#HWHR is one of FIBA’s most recognised initiatives that aims to promote women’s and girls’ basketball across the globe through various activities delivered in partnership with national federations. 

The target group for the project is primary and secondary school aged girls (6-15), who are not participating in regulated basketball.