Sidelined Chapter 1 – Work to Do

Set against the backdrop of the 42nd season of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), the Deakin Melbourne Boomers take their fight beyond the basketball court to overcome gender inequality, lower pay, balancing a sporting career with other work, racial discrimination, and the constant pressure to justify their existence as female athletes in a sporting and societal landscape dominated by men. At stake is not only the opportunity to win their first championship in ten years, but give a voice to these societal issues and make noise in a space which has been quiet for too long.

In Chapter 1, we meet the Deakin Melbourne Boomers as they gear up for the 2021-22 season and their run at the club’s first championship in over a decade. But even before the team steps onto the basketball court for their first game, a bombshell rocks the group which has global repercussions.