SUVA (Fiji) - The I'm A Girl program returned in Fiji to coincide with their week-long celebration of International Women's Day by Basketball Fiji.

Epitomizing the “start them young” phrase, Basketball Fiji laid out the grand pipeline for women’s basketball with the “I’m a Girl” program focusing on young girls for the discovery and development of the nation's next great female players.

The program organized in the Lautoka was spearheaded by Basketball Fiji National Basketball Development Officer Lanieta Baleiono, who shared the importance of the program and how special it is to her heart as a female player herself.

“It’s an exciting program especially to those motivated young girls who have never played the sport before. They are enjoying it. That’s the goal – introduce basketball and help them learn this beautiful sport,” she said.

The first stop of the program was at the Jasper Williams High School in Lautoka City with over 40 participants undergoing training and seminar for sports development, promotion, and empowerment of women’s basketball.

Beyond sports, Basketball Fiji also eyes to give a platform and opportunity for the girls to get out of their comfort zones and share stories off the court at the end of the program.

"The program provides a platform for women to be safe and free to learn the game of basketball and with our Basketball For Good ideals we also promote healthy living for the young ladies," Baleiono said.

For Basketball Fiji, it’s only the beginning as a concrete roadmap for the “I’m a Girl” program is already in line for the long-haul nationwide.

Aside from Baleliono, she was backstopped by three other female coaches to create a fun environment for the girls while also providing role models for them to emulate.

The other female coaches of the program were Jannet Vitori, Loreini Small, and Ulamila Daunibau.

Basketball Fiji is committed to developing women's basketball in the country, our women's national team is successfully competing in this region, but we want to be better in international competitions and it starts at the grassroots level," Baleiono concluded.

FIBA