Ground-breaking independent documentary series on Boomers Championship winning season 

The Deakin Melbourne Boomers WNBL Club, in association with Deakin University, is excited to launch a new documentary series which chronicles their 21-22 Championship winning season. The independently produced four-part series will premiere across SBS TV, Fox Sports and Kayo from September 18. 

Set against the backdrop of the 42nd season of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), the documentary follows the Deakin Melbourne Boomers as they attempt to overcome gender inequality, lower pay, racial discrimination, and the constant pressure to justify their experience as female athletes. 

The Sidelined: The Fight for Equality in Women’s Basketball series features Olympic and US stars, including Ezi Magbegor, Cayla George, Tess Madgen, Tiffany Mitchell, and Lindsay Allen, along with a cast of local talent, such as Carley Ernst who returned to basketball mid-season four months after the birth of her first child. 

Director, Adam McKay – an independent filmmaker – was given unrestricted and unprecedented access to the team and captured insights into the commitment and sacrifice these elite sportswomen make to play at the highest level. 

McKay says of the series, 

“There were times I was in the locker room with the team even after coaches had been kicked out – it was players-only. This gave a level of access I never thought possible, and with this access came unique insights which I feel the public will find riveting.”