She Hoops Leadership & Confidence Scholarship Applications Open: Round 1 of the 2026

Brisbane, QLD

Basketball Queensland (BQ) is making a decisive move to address the underrepresented of women in sports governance, launching its compact, five-month 2026 She Hoops Leadership & Confidence Scholarship. This fully funded program is strategically designed to accelerate the development of young female leaders, aged 15 to 18, and create a direct pipeline into basketball’s technical and administrative roles.

The scholarship’s focused scope directly supports national efforts to improve gender equity in Australian sport, a push fueled by recent government mandates.

The need for initiatives like “She Hoops” is underscored by persistent national data showing a significant drop-off for women transitioning from playing to leadership.

While women make up around 36% of community coaches (aged 15+), this figure plummets dramatically in high-performance settings. Less than 10% of head coaches across Australia’s top-funded high-performance sports were women in recent reports.

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has set a crucial deadline: by July 1, 2027, funded national bodies must achieve 50% representation of women/gender-diverse people in key governance roles, including board directors and chairs. BQ’s program serves as a tangible source of future candidates for these roles.

Eligibility

Program Highlights

• Mentoring with professional basketball players, including Kristy Wallace, Cayla George, Abby Cubillo, Georgia Munro-Cook, Ally Wilson, and Zitina Aokuso
• A three-day camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra
• Community and Club coaching accreditation and an introductory officiating course
• Five online sessions with EQ Minds covering mindset, resilience, focus, confidence, and leadership

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Born between 2008–2011 (aged 15–18)
• Show a demonstrated interest in basketball beyond playing — such as coaching, officiating, or administration

The scholarship is not merely a training course; it is a rapid entity-association model that builds high-value skills and networking capital for participants born between 2008 and 2011.

More details: https://www.queensland.basketball/resources/news/applications-now-open-2026-she-hoops-leadership-confidence-scholarship