Paralympians create a program to help rebuild women's wheelchair basketballBy Elizabeth WrightTopic:Paralympic Games49m ago49 minutes agoFri 9 May 2025 at 11:42pmLeanne Del Toso is the co-founder of the wheelchair basketball program Play On, for disabled women and girls. (ABC News: Scott Jewel)In short:Women's wheelchair basketball is facing an uphill battle to be prepared for the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics.From lack of grassroots opportunities, to concerns around funding, Paralympic medallists are concerned for future generations of players.What's next:Paralympians Leanne Del Toso and Shelley Matheson have co-founded the Play On program to address some of the issues in the sport.abc.net.au/news/rebuilding-womens-wheelchair-basketball-for-paralympics/105264774Link copiedShareShare articleMaking the Paralympic women's wheelchair basketball team in 2012 was one of the proudest and hardest journeys of Leanne Del Toso's life.Between injury and illness, she said it was a fight just to be good enough for the squad, but it was worth it when she felt the silver medal around her neck."London feels like a lifetime ago, but it was one of the most incredible experiences," the 44-year-old told ABC Sport."I was really lucky that I got to enjoy every moment [and] that we were a highly successful team."The squad, known as the Gliders, has a rich history in the sport.Since their debut at the Games in 1992, they have been one of the top teams in the world, winning four Paralympic medals.Leanne Del Toso was part of the silver medal winning squad at the 2012 Paralympics. (Getty Images: Brendon Thorne)But since those London Games, women's wheelchair basketball in Australia has faced an uphill battle; the team missed qualification for Rio and Paris.Del Toso was part of the team that missed out on Rio in 2016, and as devastating as that was, it seemed to signal a series of ongoing issues for the sport.Del Toso believes women's wheelchair basketball dropped off the Australian delegation's priority list with the onset of the pandemic."The priority for women's wheelchair basketball maybe wasn't there," she said.And she still believes this is the case.Del Toso is concerned the sport won't have enough support for the Gliders to qualify for the upcoming Brisbane Games."My goal is that we're there, front and centre. And that we're capable of medalling," Del Toso said."It would destroy our program when it comes to 2032, if we don't feature."A lack of encouragement and an empty pipeline Current Glider and postdoctoral researcher Georgia Munro-Cook shares a similar sentiment.She believes failing to qualify for Paris highlighted the difficulties the sport is facing, with the number one problem a lack of a grassroots pipeline for women coming in.Georgia Munro-Cook is a Paralympian and research fellow at Griffith University. (ABC News: John Gunn)While she acknowledged that both the men's and women's teams have had problems accessing training venues, sessions, and equipment, women and girls face the additional prospect of being held back from sport in general.It's a numbers game, with more men participating in the sport than women, at an elite level the men's team has a more robust talent pool to select from."Women in general aren't encouraged to play much sport, and I think that's especially true for women with disability," Munro-Cook said."A more long-term issue is that often at the junior level, women are having to play with men. They're not able to then develop themselves."Working towards a solution with the Play On projectDel Toso has a desire to see more women and girls participating in wheelchair basketball.It began after she looked for a way back into the sport after giving birth to her son.Having competed in the National League since 2007, she was shocked to find, since the pandemic, that Victoria didn't have a team anymore.Del Toso found only a handful of grassroots opportunities specifically for disabled women and girls to play, sparking the idea to create her own program with former teammate and current Glider Shelley Matheson.Shelley Matheson has been a Glider since 2004, winning two silver and a bronze medal at the Paralympics. (ABC News: Scott Jewel)Together they have faced several issues to get the Play On project off the ground, including the same lack of access to equipment and venues as Munro-Cook mentions, as well as difficulties sourcing funding."We had to work really hard to say we're here, we're not going anywhere," Del Toso said.Juggling life and professional para sportConcerns around funding encompasses many Para sports, including wheelchair basketball.From Del Toso and Matheson's Play On program to women playing in the National League, women and girls struggle to financially sustain their participation.Current Glider Georgia Munro-Cook believes more disabled women and girls should be encouraged to play sport. (ABC News: John Gunn)Beyond moving to Europe, where players can be paid to compete, Munro-Cook said many women playing wheelchair basketball must work or study and find balancing life with competitive sport hard."There's kind of an expectation that you're training like you're a professional athlete, but we obviously don't have the economic incentives to be doing that," she said.Add children to the mix and it becomes even harder for mothers like Del Toso and Matheson to find that balance.Matheson describes coming back to sport after giving birth like "riding a bike," but despite feeling supported by Basketball Australia and her teammates, it was still personally difficult to manage her commitments."Being a mum is number one for me, but having to reduce the amount of time and effort I put into basketball is really challenging," the 40-year-old said.In a statement, Basketball Australia said it is "committed to the long-term growth and success of women's wheelchair basketball".It also said: "We recognise the challenges that exist in participation, development, and high-performance outcomes, and are proactively working closely with stakeholders including the Australian Sports Commission, Paralympics Australia, and the National Institute Network to strengthen our wheelchair programs."Australia's national women's wheelchair basketball team, the Gliders, in action. (Supplied: Leanne Del Tosso)'It should be about equality'Del Toso understands what's at stake for the sport, to see it thrive, she said athletes need to be nurtured and recognised for the talent they have."I know what the sport gave to me, and I just want to give that back to any female who wants to play wheelchair basketball," she said."It shouldn't be about funding, it shouldn't be about access, it should be about equality."It's an uphill battle that Del Toso believes in, as does Munro-Cook, who said programs like Play On are "fantastic" and needed across the country.Loading Instagram contentAll three women also want to see a shift in leadership, with a pipeline to coaching for disabled women just as important as a pipeline for players."A key to the greatest future and being successful is having disabled women, people who know the program in and out, making decisions about where this program is going," Matheson said."We need to see more women coaching at all levels. I would love to see a disabled woman coaching Australia one day."Making inroads with the Play On projectThe Play On program now has more than 30 women participating each week, ranging from young girls to seniors in their sixties. Del Toso believes they have some future wheelchair basketball superstars in the mix.What makes the program so unique is that it has been created by, created for, and is run by women with disabilities who have an inherent passion for the sport. A passion Del Toso and Matheson hope to share.The Play On program was created to encourage disabled girls and women to play wheelchair basketball. (Supplied: Leanne Del Toso)Since beginning the program, the group has gained access to a community grant, which has allowed them to purchase some equipment, like competition wheelchairs.Wheelchair Basketball Australia has also announced that three new women's teams will be welcomed into the National League this year, including from Victoria.Del Toso said they want to make sure that women and girls can compete, just for fun, or to take it to the highest level."It's really important that women with disability can connect socially and have a safe place to belong," she said."I feel like it's a great space for women to be empowered, to then go off and be the best version of themselves."Posted 49m ago49 minutes agoFri 9 May 2025 at 11:42pmShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)SportCarlton records courageous win as McGovern is rushed to hospital after brutal hitTopic:AFLPhoto shows Mitch McGovern lays on the turf after being bumped'No hard edge': Thurston slates Broncos after loss to South SydneyTopic:NRLPhoto shows Payne Haas of the Broncos (centre) and teammates react following their lossIPL tournament suspended amid India-Pakistan conflict as Australians look to fly homeTopic:CricketPhoto shows Cricketer Mitchell Starc with teammates wait for an umpire decision.Ukrainian praises Kasatkina's courage in stepping away from RussiaTopic:TennisPhoto shows Marta Kostyuk clenches her fist during a tennis match.A ringer, a Rebel and two Aussies are named for the British and Irish LionsTopic:ExplainerPhoto shows Maro Itoje sits with Andy FarrellTop Stories'Third party' vote looks set to beat CoalitionTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows A triangular chart showing an example of some electorates shifting from LNP to 'Other candidates' at the 2025 federal election'We've hit the lottery': Businesses cash in on Labor's home battery rebateTopic:Energy IndustryPhoto shows A man with a t-shirt, hat and sunglasses on top of his head smiles at camera.Labor win turns sour as the bloody realpolitik takes centre stageLAnalysis by Laura TinglePhoto shows Two men in orange hi vis vest, with one holding up a dollar coinIndia's retaliation to terror attacks reflects a changed strategy. 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