Taipans Academy Set to Transform Girls’ Basketball Landscape in FNQ
The search begins for the next Cayla George with the launch of the Cairns Taipans Girls Academy.
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The Cairns Taipans, alongside the Queensland Government and NBL Assists, have launched the Taipans Academy – Girls (TAG).
An initiative that will promote girls’ involvement in sport across the region and seek to find the next generation of WNBL, WNBA and Opals stars.
Set to commence this October, TAG goes hand-in-hand with the skyrocketing participation in basketball, delivering sessions that will include individual physical skills, team-based strategy sessions and goal setting.
Cairns Taipans CEO Mark Beecroft said he was excited to unearth the next WNBA star in the region.
“This has been a long-time aspiration for our club, so we couldn’t be happier about this development,” he said.
“The Taipans remain the only national sports team in Cairns, the opportunity to encourage and support potential female athletes is significant.
“As a professional men’s team, we would love to complete the ecosystem for the sport, and we see that the announcement of our Girls Academy is the first step toward that.
“We believe Far North Queensland is home to some of the best emerging talent in Australia and we hope this program will help identify the next female basketball superstar.”
Taipans media and marketing manager Jasmine Amis and NBL Executive General Manager Tristan Russell were pivotal in putting the program together, while Taipans sports scientist Stephanie Shirley, sports psychologist Jodii Maguire and Karen Mounsey played crucial roles in driving the initiative.
Five high schools will be identified throughout the region and receive five sessions, culminating in the ‘TAG Combine Day’ which will feature benchmarking skills and capability testing for all participants.
These sessions will be delivered by Taipans players and coaches, but also supported by female athletes, CQUniversity High Performance staff and NBL Assists.
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Curtis Pitt said the the Taipans have an enormous presence on the sporting landscape of FNQ.
“This initiative further cements the importance of the role they play in the community,” he said.
“Basketball is a terrific team sport and I strongly encourage every eligible student to take full advantage of the sessions on offer.”
Minister for Tourism and Sport Michael Healy said the encouragement of girls to become more physically active played an important role.
“The Queensland Government is proud to support this fantastic initiative in partnership with the Cairns Taipans and NBL Assists because an active community is a healthy community.”
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Originally published as Taipans Academy Set to Transform Girls’ Basketball Landscape in FNQ
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