Molten crowned its second Female Local Champion, giving them the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2023 in Slovenia.

Katarina Rumpf, who coaches U12 and U14 boys for the Košarkarski Klub Jelša Šmarje Basketball Club in Slovenia, was selected from a national search, recognising her commitment to the club and her local community.

Molten Head of Brand Marketing, Noa Hasegawa, said: “The Molten Female Local Champions program was designed to recognise coaches and volunteers who have championed female participation in the community.

“The program has once again been a great success, giving our winners the chance to network and make connections in the industry that they can take back to their local communities. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate all the incredible things they have already achieved,” Hasegawa said.

Rumpf spent two days at the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket, getting a behind the scenes tour, visiting the press room, the media mixed zone and watching games from courtside.

Rumpf also had the opportunity to attend the FIBA Women in Leadership Forum, held in conjunction with EuroBasket.

The Forum is a bespoke program for female participants who have been identified by their national federations as future leaders in basketball. FIBA believes that creating a network of talented and knowledgeable women working across the national federations, will help to increase the growth and visibility of the women’s game across Europe and beyond.

Rumpf heard from inspiring panel members such as Carmen Tocala, President of the Romanian Basketball Federation and FIBA Europe Board Member, and Sonja Vasic, Sports Director at the Olympic Committee of Serbia.

“Some of my key takeaways (from the Forum) were that women need more support from the mens’ side,” said Rumpf. “To grow together and to be able to succeed, we need more leadership opportunities and support from the federations.

“This support would make sure that programs like WiLead, Time Out and Her World, Her Rules are taken more seriously.”

Rumpf also had the opportunity to meet and connect with former Slovenian basketball player Maja Erkić.

“We talked about her experience as a former active player and now as a retired player on how women can progress to leadership roles in basketball organizations,” she said.

“I was extremely honoured and privileged to get a chance and to be able to experience EuroBasket from another side than just as a basketball fan.

“I think programs like Molten Female Local Champions are incredibly important to promote and support the work women are doing at the grassroots level. It's crucial to invest in and empower women who are working to develop and grow the sport,” said Rumpf.

“It is a great opportunity to connect with different people in different important positions in women's basketball and to be able to then exchange ideas, opinions, and solutions to elevate our sport.”

Following successful Female Local Champion programs in Australia, Israel and Slovenia, Molten intends to continue implementing this initiative.

“Molten wants to empower coaches, referees and administrators who are committed to basketball and provide a vital contribution to their local communities,” Noa Hasegawa said.

“We would love to see the program expanded into all of our regions and with various age groups, including our younger, future basketball players and volunteers.”

Monika Puchner, Managing Director FIBA Europe Properties GmbH also praised the program, saying: “We are extremely pleased to have in our partner Molten, a company that strongly supports women in basketball.

“During the recent FIBA Women’s EuroBasket in Slovenia and Israel their Molten Female Champion program showed how valuable it is to get insights and connections to big basketball events and the people behind it.

“The program encourages young female volunteers, administrators and coaches to acquire expert knowledge and share their experience with their basketball community. Furthermore it offers them recognition for the work they do at home, in different fields of basketball.

“We hope that Molten will continue with this great initiative in other championships to give more young women the chance to get this amazing experience,” she said.

About Molten

Molten, a manufacturer of balls and sports equipment, has been making and marketing basketballs, handballs, soccer balls, and volleyballs, of uncompromising quality since 1958. Molten continues to raise global standards, supplying the official game balls and sports equipment for major leagues, teams and international tournaments around the world.
For further information, please visit https://molten.com.au/