00:00London feels like a lifetime ago, but it was one of the most incredible experiences that
00:11I've ever had.
00:12Winning a silver medal at the 2012 Paralympics was one of Leanne Del Toso's proudest moments.
00:19The gliders have a rich history at the Paralympics, but in recent years the team has faced an
00:25uphill battle to be at their best.
00:27Significantly, they missed qualification for Rio and Paris.
00:32Despite the struggle, Del Toso and former team-mate Shelley Matheson want to see more women have
00:37opportunities to play.
00:39It's really important that women with disability connect socially and have a safe place to belong.
00:47We want to bring as many women into what we think is the superior sport and get them involved
00:52in basketball.
00:54From grassroots to the National League, women and girls aren't getting the support they
00:59need to participate.
01:00The number one problem is that there's just not enough women playing wheelchair basketball
01:04and the pipeline just isn't there for more people coming through.
01:07Women in general aren't encouraged as much to play sport and I think that's especially
01:10true for women with disability.
01:12Outside influences have severely impacted the sport.
01:16Women at the junior levels, women are having to play with men and they're not able to then
01:20develop themselves.
01:21I guess they get turned off the sport in lots of ways.
01:24There's also concerns around funding.
01:26There's kind of an expectation that you're training like you're a professional athlete.
01:29We obviously don't have the economic incentives to be doing that.
01:32There's also issues around venue access and gender parity.
01:41Obviously being a mum is number one for me, but having to reduce the amount of time and
01:47effort I put into basketball is personally really challenging for me.
01:50In a statement, Basketball Australia says it's committed to the long term growth and success
01:59of the sport and recognises the challenges that exist in participation, development and
02:05high performance outcomes.
02:08It says it's working with stakeholders to strengthen their programs.
02:12With the focus now on the Brisbane games, the hope is that more grassroots opportunities
02:17will become available in the sport for disabled women and girls across the country.
02:23Del Toso and Matheson have developed the Play On program in Victoria to encourage women
02:28and girls to get involved, a program they would like to see replicated across the country.
02:35We actually just need everybody and so I think the more that we can build up the grassroots
02:40level the more it benefits the Australian team.
02:43I know what the sport gave me and I just want to give that back to any female who wants
02:49to compete in wheelchair basketball.
02:51Rebuilding the sport for future generations.
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