‘Encestando Futuros’ launches its second edition in Fuerteventura to promote girls’ basketball

The ‘Encestando Futuros’ project launched its second edition in Fuerteventura on Sunday with its first training session for girls involved in minibasketball and pre-minibasketball. The initiative, jointly promoted by the Fuerteventura Island Council, through its Sports Department, and the Canary Islands Basketball Federation, aims to encourage girls to stay in sport and give them new opportunities to learn and develop.

The programme features training sessions led by coaches from the Canary Islands Basketball Federation, who travel to Fuerteventura to work with the girls on technical and tactical aspects of the game, provide new experiences and strengthen their skills. The sessions also include activities designed to build confidence, team cohesion and motivation to keep playing basketball.

Training will take place throughout the season, with sessions held in different municipalities across the island. The programme combines basketball-specific technical and tactical work with activities focused on personal development, confidence, team cohesion and motivation to continue playing sport.

The island’s Sports Councillor, Luis González, stressed the importance of continuing the project, which allows young athletes to improve their skills and discover other aspects of basketball. “We want girls to have the opportunity to progress as players and, in the future, to consider other paths in the sport too, such as coaching,” he said.

Canary Islands Basketball Federation president Carlos Olano thanked the Island Council for its collaboration and noted that the project gives the girls the chance to train using methods different from those in their usual activities. “It is important for these girls to see that the Island Council and basketball are doing a great deal for them, so that sport can be a way of life and support them in their development and education over the years,” he said.

Eu Etopa, one of the programme’s coaches, explained that the aim is to give every girl opportunities in basketball and help prevent them from giving up the sport. The project therefore seeks to strengthen their connection with sport and provide female role models to encourage them to continue.

The 2026–2027 season includes a schedule of 20 sessions between November 2026 and June 2027. The programme also includes tools to monitor participants’ technical progress and attitudes, as well as measures to support the training of women coaches and increase female representation in basketball across the island.

With ‘Encestando Futuros’, the Fuerteventura Island Council and the Canary Islands Basketball Federation are backing sport as a space for learning, support and equal opportunities for the island’s girls.