As part of our aim to increase the role of females at all levels of the sport, the GBF began working on this important part of its strategy in 2019 and is making significant progress in its endeavors which will remain a priority for another four years.

With surveys, analysis, and assessment of the current status taking place as initial action points in 2019, The GBF completed the FIBA Women in Basketball Survey in 2020, which has provided updates on key activities and fact sheets detailing specifics for Guyana along with how we are compared with other regional National Federations.

There are five goals developed for this priority, which act as development focus areas and are underpinned by various initiatives and programs.Â

There are numerous programs and initiatives currently in place that include: 
A pilot program for mentoring elite-level coachesÂwas launched in 2021 in Europe. The program runs for one year and selected participants take part in a range of different activities, includingÂplacements, periods of training and study, plus job shadowing and access to mentoring.

Under a rule adopted in 2020, national teams are requiredto have at least one female coach on the bench in all FIBA women’s youth competitions.

With a clear focus on increasing the number of officials for the GBF, especially in terms of female candidates, FIBA’s Central Board approved the allocation of an extra female referee license for every National Federation for the Game Officials License period of 2023-25.Â

Additionally, as part of its efforts to encourage more female coaches and referees, FIBA launched an initiative aimed at removing potential obstacles for female officials. The FIBA Referee Maternity Plan, which was introduced in 2023, focuses on providing guidelines for National Federations to ensure that female referees are included fully in their officiating careers, even during maternity leave.