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- This is an online training programme now available through Endesa’s Basket Girlz project. It is designed to give coaching staff tools to motivate young players to continue practising basketball.
- Taught and created by former professional player, coach, and sports psychologist Mar Rovira, with contributions from María Pina (former professional player and coach), it is an optional module within the official Spanish Basketball Federation coaching courses required to obtain a coaching license.
- These courses are taken by individuals training to become coaches at the advanced and regional levels. Coaches play a fundamental role, as their educational influence directly impacts team motivation.
As part of the Basket Girlz project, and in collaboration with the Spanish Basketball Federation, Endesa is launching the Basket Girlz course: the role of coaches in girls’ basketball dropout. This is a free 100% online training programme, which is already available through the FEB Academy platform. The course’s main goal is to train coaches and educators in a critically important area: the causes behind early dropout in women’s sports and the possible solutions. YouTube VIDEO: Basket Girlz course: the role of coaches in girls’ basketball dropout.
A key training tool for youth basketball
The training is delivered by Mar Rovira, a former professional player, senior coach, and sports psychologist with more than a decade of experience in both youth development and high performance. According to Rovira, ‘There are three fundamental aspects in youth sports: making sure our young people enjoy themselves, that they learn, and that, tied to these two ideas, they stay motivated to come back to practice.’
With that in mind, the course focuses on equipping coaching staffs with tools to understand these three steps, which are crucial to creating a positive motivational environment during training.
The programme provides an initial technical foundation. Then, it unpacks the reasons behind youth sports dropout, as documented in the report prepared by Rovira for Endesa, FEB, and CSD, which serves as the basis of the Basket Girlz project. Across six video capsules, the programme addresses essential topics such as motivation, communication, coaching leadership, and the role of families.
Featuring leading figures in basketball
The course also features the collaboration of María Pina, former professional player, coach, and technical director. She’ll share her experience and offer practical tools to understand and prevent sports dropout. Drawing on her dual perspective as both player and coach, Pina focuses her message to young players on avoiding judgement, validating their emotions, and allowing basketball to strengthen their confidence and sense of security.
To achieve this, she believes it is essential that coaches have all the tools and knowledge that go beyond sport itself to support the healthy development of each person, using sports as a powerful vehicle —in this case basketball. Every player has their own strengths, talent, and pace of development. We are all different. Basketball is the best part of their day, so we have a responsibility to give them the best.
In conclusion, Mar Rovira, author of the Basket Girlz report, states that ‘Understanding why we quit sports so early helps us become better coaches, because it shifts the focus toward what can make it irresistible: enjoyment, improvement, and belonging to something greater than ourselves.’
The course includes a final assessment test that certifies completion within the FEB Academy training pathway.
A step forward in supporting women’s sports
With this initiative, Endesa strengthens its commitment to society by using sports as a tool for life, with a specific focus on youth basketball. The energy company has supported Spanish basketball since 2011, from major leagues to national teams and grassroots sports. This commitment led to the launch of the Basket Girlz project in 2020, in partnership with FEB and the Spanish National Sports Council.
The initiative is based on the study conducted by Mar Rovira. Through it, she analyses the causes behind early dropout in girls’ basketball, estimating that four out of five girls quit the sport by the time they reach adolescence. Based on hundreds of interviews, the report identifies the main causes of dropout as time management, family factors, motivational climate, and gender inequality.
Once the problem and its causes were diagnosed, the project focused on raising visibility and public awareness. It also launched specific actions such as this training course for coaches, the creation of the Basket Girlz awards recognising the best initiatives against early dropout in basketball, and, more recently, the opening of two study rooms in Granada and Vic (Catalonia) to help balance school and sports.
More information and access to the course:
YouTube VIDEO: Basket Girlz course: the role of coaches in girls’ basketball dropout.
https://www.proyectobasketgirlz.com
About Endesa
Endesa is the leading electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. It is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an integrated business model spanning electricity generation, distribution, and supply. Furthermore, the company offers value-added services focused on the electrification of energy use for households, businesses, and public administrations. Endesa is committed to the United Nations’ SDGs and corporate social responsibility. In the latter area, it also operates through the Endesa Foundation. Our team comprises around 9,000 employees. Endesa is part of Enel.