The Grande Prairie Ladies Basketball League is hoping to see a rebound in participation after the COVID-19 pandemic decimated the number of teams confirmed to play in the last few seasons.
President Dallas English says the hope is to return to a bustling league of players of all skill sets, including those who may pick up the sport for the first time.
“We’ve always had between 8-9 teams in our league, and over COVID-19 the league got kind of decimated because we had a lot of teams who didn’t want to submit their vaccination records, and etc.”
“I think we are sitting at three confirmed teams right now, and I think the city needs to let more people know we have a women’s league,” English adds. “The more people we can get out and stay active, especially in those winter months would be so great for so many ladies in this city.”
English says organizers understand that a time commitment can be difficult, but only playing for 90 minutes a week is a way they are aiming to make it as accessible as possible.
“We all need to get out and get more active, and there are a lot of moms in the league and sometimes when you have all of that going on, you just can’t do something for yourself,” she says.
“It’s a really nice way to get out, have some friendly competition, and get a run in. Basketball is certainly picking up in this city, there are a lot of kids and families that are playing.”
For more information you can visit the league’s Facebook page.