Rising interest in women’s basketball is being reflected by increased demand at the Vancouver Bandits third annual Girls & Women in Sports Basketball Camp, which, despite more than doubling the number of spots, was running out of vacancies well in advance.
With more than a month to go before the Saturday, May 25, camp at the Langley Events Centre, two of the four sessions were already sold out, as of Tuesday, April 16, reported Andrew Savory, Vancouver Bandits Vice President, Brand & Communications.
“The first year [we held the event] it was about 30 campers, last year it was 60, and this year it’s 80,” Savory told the Langley Advance Times.
Every space in the advanced and intermediate age 14-18 sessions was filled, with limited spots left for the two advanced and intermediate 10-13 sessions.
“I think the demand has always been there,” Savory commented.
“There’s a lot of clubs locally who are doing great work in terms of offering women’s and girl’s basketball programming,” Savory said.
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A day of hoops, featuring skill development, drills and more at the Langley Events Centre, the event is open to basketball players of varying ages and skill levels.
Camp includes coaching and basketball instruction from university and national team-level athletes, plus tickets to next day’s 4 p.m. May 26th Bandits game against Scarborough Shooting Stars at Langley Events Centre, and entry to a pre-game speakers panel on girls and women in sports that day.
“We just wanted to introduce some of our fans, and the daughters of our fans, to our game day environment, bring them into an arena where they can be surrounded by like-minded girls who want to play basketball for fun or to meet other people or to advance their game,” Savory said.
“It’s going to be a fun day of advancing their skills and hopefully creating all the inspiration and dreams for where they can go with the sport of basketball, whether it’s on the court or off of it.”
All campers will receive a free t-shirt, free pair of shorts, and a food voucher.
Savory noted the first round of the WNBA draft on Monday, April 15, saw Canada’s Aaliyah Edwards selected sixth overall by the Washington Mystics, the second year a Canadians has made the top 10, something Savory described as “tremendous.”
“We’re really proud to see an increased focus on women’s basketball right now,” Savory remarked.
“I think the Bandits have a role to play in that conversation. It’s an opportunity to shine a light on that story and amplify it as much as we can.”
For more information about the camp, and to register, visit www.thebandits.ca/girls-basketball-camp.
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