'Who will speak up for women': Concerns raised over all-male group leading GB basketball through difficult time
Two long-standing members of the women’s basketball community have asked who will speak up for them after the committees announced to plot a path forward for the national teams and the British game was dominated by men.
Earlier this month, Basketball England – tasked with acting as the accountable body after the British Basketball Federation went bust before Christmas – announced a six-strong interim delivery subgroup to support the Great Britain programme and 3x3 teams.
This panel has been given a timeframe of 10 months to provide stability for the national teams “while work continues on a permanent long-term governance solution for the sport”.
But despite men’s and women’s teams taking to the court in GB colours, there is no female voice in a committee that is chaired by Paul Blake, managing director of Newcastle Eagles, and consists of Basketball England CEO Nigel Walker, Basketball Scotland CEO David Fallon, Basketball Wales performance lead Ryan Chambers, Super League Basketball COO Andy Webb and British Championship chair Russell Bell.
In making the announcement on May 1, Basketball England also declared that the structure had been agreed by a wider group of stakeholders which is looking into the future governance of the sport in the wake of the collapse of the BBF. That 14-strong group consisted of some members of the main committee, plus Sanjay Bhandari MBE the chairman of SLB, but only two women – Laura Kay Tomlinson and Emily Clark who represent the top two leagues. Both committees are short-term measures and it is understood the consultation process will go much wider with all parts of the sport able to feed in.
Now, at what is viewed as a critical juncture in the future of British basketball following the liquidation of the BBF after a costly, year-long civil war with its own professional league, the SLB, and with millions of UK Sport money pumped into the game to fund the 3x3 programme up to the 2028 Olympics, there are alarm bells ringing in the women’s game. Concerns have been raised by two people who nearly got the women’s traditional 5-on-5 team to the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and have played a big part in the recent history of the Sheffield Hatters.
Hannah Shaw spent two years with the Hatters among other clubs and won 25 caps for Great Britain. She was part of the squad that came within three points of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics and had been serving as a co-ordinator for GB’s 3x3 programme.
She is listed as a creditor owed money by the BBF.
Shaw said: “It’s encouraging that they’ve got to the stage where there is a stakeholder group but it’s a really poor reflection on the sport that there is not one woman in the delivery group for the national teams.
“Having a female on that board gives us a say, it gives us transparency, it gives us legitimacy.
“There are plenty of women who are qualified who should be there representing women.
“Across all these senior positions, did no women apply? Were no women qualified for these jobs?
“Are we so far behind other sections of society? Who is there in that group of six that is speaking up for women’s basketball?”
Vanessa Ellis was Shaw’s former coach at Sheffield Hatters, and an assistant during her time with Great Britain.
She has also raised issue with the lack of female representation to primarily lead the national teams.
“There’s nobody on that panel that understands the women’s game,” said Ellis.
“I’m not saying there should be a woman on there just to show a bit of equality, because basketball needs the best people for the job. But the women’s game is nuanced, it’s not a bolt-on to the men’s game.
“It needs somebody from the women’s game who understands the women’s game and women’s needs.”
Basketball England issued this response on behalf of the stakeholder group to The Yorkshire Post on Wednesday.
The statement read: “The Interim Delivery Group is made up of representatives of the stakeholder bodies which have come together to make sure the forthcoming GB internationals this year and early next year take place. It is a temporary arrangement to deliver the games and provide the support needed by the teams.
“The Wider Consultation Group, drawn from the same stakeholder bodies plus two independents, has been tasked with putting together a brief for a process, to be run by an independent agency, to consult with stakeholders from all parts of the game to identify the best model for the future governance of the sport in Great Britain.”
At the time of the announcement, they said of the interim group that it will “focus specifically on supporting current GB programme requirements and the sport's 3x3 commitments through to the end of the financial year.
"Its remit is deliberately time-limited to ensure continuity of delivery while the broader consultation process continues.
"The interim structure will allow Great Britain to meet its FIBA requirements and national team commitments in a challenging financial environment, while conversations continue between the Home Country Associations and key stakeholders about the long-term future of British basketball.”
Mr Blake, chair of the interim delivery group, said: “British basketball is at a critical juncture.
"There is significant work ahead, but we start from a position of genuine collaboration.”