MIES (Switzerland) - As part of the FIBA Women in Basketball Forum at the recent Women's Basketball World Cup 2026, a session was delivered in partnership with Global Partner Nike to explore how coaching girls can build long-term foundations for their development.
Exploring how positive, inclusive and evidence-based coaching can help keep girls engaged in basketball and contribute significantly to their future, the speakers and attendees represented different stages of this important journey from participation to leadership.
Delegates included members of the FIBA Youth Leaders Program and participants from FIBA-supported women's leadership initiatives, including the FIBA Women Leaders supported by Molten, WiLEAD Europe and Adelante.
Participants were also in attendance from the German Basketball Federation and their development workshops, along with other invited coaches and program representatives.
Bringing these groups together provided an opportunity to connect emerging leaders, coaches and program participants from different backgrounds and regions, allowing them to share experiences and contribute directly to the conversation.
The session was facilitated by GM Future Of Youth Sport, Nike, Dan Burrows and one of the main themes was centered around coaching girls, building confidence, belonging and performance.
This involved a panel including Professor of Sport Coaching, Leeds Beckett University / ICOACHKIDS, Dr Sergio Lara Bercial; former German national team player and HereToHoop community coach Ireti Amojo; Program Lead HereToHoop and Berlin Basketball Association, Franziska Keich.
This was also explored with FIBA Hall of Famer and now Spanish TV Broadcaster, Amaya Valdemoro.
"I spoke about how to follow your dreams and how coaches need to be with young players - through my own experiences. I was once a little girl dreaming to be an Olympic medalist," said Valdemoro.
"It is important to have these conversations because women's basketball is growing and it is important for everyone to have this information - the sponsors, the players, the coaches and the media."
The future looks bright to me and looks amazing!
She added: "Every year we are getting a step ahead. The balance [with men's basketball] is becoming equal. Women's basketball is now globalized. I think social media has been helping.
"Also, my advice for people is to be yourself, don't be afraid of anything, be brave, ask for help and follow your dreams."
FIBA