Adelaide 36ers team with Lightning for first All-Girls Harmony Hoops Program

The Adelaide 36ers have collaborated with the Adelaide Lightning to deliver their first ever all-female Harmony Hoops program, bringing young people from diverse cultural backgrounds together through basketball.

Harmony Hoops is a partnership between the Adelaide 36ers and Australian Refugees Association (ARA) and has been central to the club’s mission of using sport as a vehicle for inclusion, connection, and personal development. 

Traditionally run as a mixed program, this term marked the first time the initiative was delivered exclusively for girls - creating a safe, supportive, and empowering environment for participants to learn and grow both on and off the court.

The eight session program attracted 16 registered participants, and the cohort reflected South Australia’s multicultural fabric with girls from Kenyan, South Sudanese, German, Swiss, Belgian, and Indigenous Australian backgrounds taking part.

Across the eight sessions, participants were treated to a unique blend of basketball development and life skills education. The program featured player appearances, coaching clinics, and Q&A sessions with 36ers players Magok Manyang and Blake Jones, alongside Adelaide Lightning stars Steph Talbot, Ashlee Strawbridge, and Tayla Brazel.

Off the court, participants engaged in interactive workshops covering physical and mental preparation as well as nutrition, along with a creative session where they designed their own basketball jerseys.

Adelaide 36ers Chief of External Relations & Community Strategy, Ross Wait, said the all girls format was a deliberate and important step in expanding the program’s reach.

“We recognised an opportunity to create a space specifically for young girls from diverse backgrounds to feel comfortable, confident, and inspired through basketball,” Wait said, acknowledging the importance of having female role models from the Adelaide Lightning involved.

“Harmony Hoops has always been about more than the game - it’s about connection, belonging, and giving young people the tools to thrive. This all girls program has shown just how powerful that environment can be.

“The engagement, the smiles, and the willingness to learn that we’ve seen across the sessions have been incredible. 

“Having role models from both the 36ers and Lightning involved has made a real difference, and we’re proud of what’s been achieved in this first iteration.”

The program aims to connect participants to local competitions across the community which is a key outcome of the 2024-25 Active State Collaboration Program, Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing.

With the success of the all girls pilot program, Harmony Hoops is set to return in Term Two - this time as a mixed gender program open to an even broader group of young people.

Sessions will run on Fridays after school from 3:45pm to 5:00pm at the John McVeity Centre in Smithfield Plains. The program is open to participants aged 12–17 from diverse cultural backgrounds who have an interest in basketball, regardless of experience level.

Get Involved

If you or someone you know would like to be part of Harmony Hoops in Term Two, register HERE to get involved.

Don’t miss this opportunity to build skills, make new friends, and be part of a program that celebrates diversity through sport.