From the United States to Somalia, women are dominating the basketball scene

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Why hello here! Welcome back, Level-The-Fielders (is that what we should call our subscribers, or is it terrible!? SORRY!). We’re so thrilled to welcome our new subscribers. Turns out more and more people are wanting this little-baby-fortnightly-sports-wrapup-newsletter. We’ll still keep you posted about whether this will eventually go to weekly… maybe in the lead-up to the Olympics? Would there be appetite for that? Speaking of, there’s officially 112 days until the start of the Paris Olympic Games! Anywho we’ll stop with the stream-of-consciousness intro!

ICYMI, female basketball players are taking the world by storm. They have always been there and killing it, but they are finally getting the attention and media coverage they deserve (although there’s still a long way to go). Caitlin Clark = two words you’ll be hearing a LOT OF this year. Do you know who she is? If not, or if you want to learn more, you’re in the right place. Scroll your way down and you’ll find our recap on this superstar and why she is absolutely dominating the news this month in particular (she may also have a guest appearance in the Stats part of this newsletter so keep an eye out… and we’re sure she’ll be breaking a lot more records too!).

Now, pivot to pretty much the other side of the world. Somaliland. For many Somalis, the idea of women and sport simply don’t go together. There is immense prejudice against women playing sports, which can turn into open hostility. This is what faced the Hiil Hableed girls’ basketball team in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa. The amazing young female journos at Bilan, a Somali newsroom led by women, have written a feature later on in this newsletter about how the Hiil Hableed women are challenging norms and breaking new ground. It’s honestly an article not to be missed.

Also, a little quick recap for those following our updates around women’s sports stadiums (recap below in newsletter for those who have missed these incredible developments!). We have exciting news - another dedicated women’s sports stadium could be in the works. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. The City of Roswell in Georgia has partnered with the United Soccer League (USL) to “explore the possibility of developing” a historic women’s soccer stadium and entertainment district.

Plus, if we quickly circle back to the countdown until the Olympics, let’s not forget the Paralympics and this awesome news that Aussie rower Nikki Ayers is teaming up with fellow paralympian Jed Altschwager in the PR3 mixed double sculls at the Paris Paralympics. Here’s a great interview with Ayers who’s tipped to win a gold medal.

What an exciting time for women’s sports - and it’s only April…

Chat again soon,

The Missing Perspectives Team xxx

PS for those wondering what we’re reading this week - we loved reading this piece about major media buyer GroupM doubling its women’s sports investments and creating a marketplace to facilitate deals.

Trailblazer Caitlin Clark is changing US college basketball

To say that Caitlin Clark is the next big thing in US basketball is quite the understatement. The 22-year-old basketball player is currently the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer (across both the men’s and women’s leagues), and is regarded as one of the best players in college basketball history. Just casually?

The fun fact: Caitlin actually kicked off her humble basketball career at age five, where she competed in the boy’s league given her dad couldn’t find one for girls her age (and totally dominated the scene there too, as expected).

Caitlin burst onto the scene in her freshman season with the Iowa Hawkeyes, where she led the NCAA Division I in scoring and earned All-American honours. She basically won every award you can think of, including all major national player of the year awards (and also led Iowa to its first ever national championship game). Her college basketball career has gone from strength to strength, and she is estimated to be one of the top earners among college athletes for name, image, and likeness deals (NIL).

This current March Madness season has seen her personal brand, audience interest and ticket sales skyrocket. People are crediting Caitlin with boosting national interest in women’s basketball, and have referred to it as the “Caitlin Clark effect.” AP and USA Today have both named Caitlin behind the huge increases in attendance and television viewership. Her name against Colorado drew in nearly 6.9 million viewers on the ABC alone.

In February this year, Caitlin announced that she would declare for the 2024 WNBA draft - so it’s only going to get more exciting (if that’s even possible).

Read more over at missingperspectives.com

Meet these Somali basketball players changing the face of the game

For many Somalis, the idea of women and sport simply don’t go together. There is immense prejudice against women playing sports which can turn into open hostility.

This is what faced the Hiil Hableed girls’ basketball team in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa. Although they played on a court where high walls hid them from public gaze, they were insulted in the streets and harassed on social media.

Some people, especially men, used religion to argue that women should stay at home and focus on domestic tasks instead of going out to play sports.

Things got even worse when Hiil Hableed’s court was closed down.

“We just stayed at home,” said team member Hafsa Omer. “After some months, the Hargeisa municipality gave us access to another court. But girls were allotted the hottest time of the day to play – between 1 and 4pm – with the cooler times given to the boys.”

“One day we hope to have our own basketball court,” she said. “Only then will our struggles be over.”

Despite the challenges, the Hiil Hableed team are determined to keep playing and to encourage other girls to take up the sport.

They were given the chance to do so on International Women’s Day when they boarded a minibus and drove more than 200 kilometres to a boarding school in the beautiful town of Sheikh high up in the mountains.

The Pharo Foundation, which runs the school, invited them to hold a two-day basketball camp for girl boarders, not only to teach them how to play but to show that sport is a key way to learn about teamwork and leadership.

A trustee of the foundation, Farah Jirdeh-Fonkenell, used to play basketball in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, before civil war broke out more than three decades ago. The insecurity and harsh social attitudes towards women today make it hard to believe that she played openly and without fear.

“The whole community would come out and watch us play matches,” says Ms Jirdeh-Fonkenell. “I would walk home with my teammates around 9 or 10pm. It was safe and nothing bad would ever happen to us.”

It would be unthinkable to do so today.

Girls at Sheikh school are lucky to have a safe space to play, away from prying eyes and abuse. The basketball court was specially refurbished and new balls purchased, along with special jerseys and headscarves. New bedding was bought for the 16 members of Hiil Hableed who came for the camp.

About 30 teenage students joined in the training. Initially, they were hesitant and shy but quickly picked up confidence, learning how to dribble and shoot. Soon they were running about the court and leaping high into the air.

At the end of the second day, a friendly match was held between Hiil Hableed and the new Sheikh team. Although they had only learned how to play basketball the previous day, the boarding school girls gave the experienced team a run for their money.

After the camp, the schoolgirls said they couldn’t believe how just two days of basketball had increased their confidence and sense of purpose.

Ms Jirdeh Fonkonell of Pharo Foundation told the girls, “When I am 80, I still want to be running and moving. Brain activity and physical activity go hand in hand. The thing that made me want to achieve more than I could ever imagine always goes back to sports. Sports teaches you teamwork, camaraderie and how to think out of the box.”

Bilan is Somalia’s first all-women media team. Funded by the European Union through UNDP and hosted by Dalsan Media Group, Bilan shines a light on the issues women care about and offers a platform for women’s voices.

Read more over at missingperspectives.com

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