Former Opals player and retired Warrnambool Mermaids champion Kate Sewell is running the clinic at The Arc, along with her brother Matt Alexander, also a former Australian representative and Warrnambool Seahawks coach.

About 25 Warrnambool and district girls aged between eight and 14 will enjoy three days of basketball fundamentals and team-building skills as the clinic continues today and Thursday.

As well as modified games, the girls are learning about shooting technique and problem solving on the court.

Sewell said she and Alexander decided to start the holiday program as part of an effort to address the lack of young girls playing basketball in Warrnambool.

“We need more girls playing basketball and playing more often,” she told The Standard.

“About 18 months ago the under 12 competition dropped out, so with the Warrnambool committee I started a subcommittee to help focus on developing girls’ basketball.

“It would be a shame to lose girls’ basketball in Warrnambool.”

Sewell said the Mermaids’ failure to field a Big V team this season was another issue facing the sport in Warrnambool.

“These girls need something to aspire to.

“Hopefully we can see more girls playing as a result of this.

“A quarter of them are squad players and a quarter have never played before so there’s a good mix and by the end of this week we’ll definitely see improvement after three days. We’ve definitely already seen them improve their dribbling in particular.

“Parents can know their kids here are going to be active for five hours.”

Spaces are still available for the clinic, with registration at 9am today and Thursday.