Despite the global surge in women’s basketball fueled by Caitlin Clark, her home state of Iowa is witnessing a alarming 38% decline in high school girls’ participation, creating a paradox where the sport’s popularity has never been higher, but its future pipeline is shrinking at an alarming rate.
In the quiet, rural towns of Newell and Fonda, Iowa, where storefronts are shuttered and vacant houses dot the landscape, the heartbeat of the community is still strong. It pulses from the Newell-Fonda High School gym, where 21 of the school’s 71 girls don blue jerseys to cheer on their powerhouse basketball team, a program known across the state. Yet, this passionate anomaly stands in stark contrast to a troubling trend sweeping the nation and Caitlin Clark’s home state itself.
Participation in girls basketball across the country has fallen dramatically, even as the college and professional games enjoy unprecedented popularity thanks to stars like Clark. The National Federation of State High School Associations reports a 21% drop in participation since 2000, from 451,600 to 356,240 players. In Iowa, the drop is even steeper, a staggering 38% over the same period, with numbers falling from 9,401 to 5,856.
“When I first started coaching girls basketball, every team you played had a good point guard, a good shooter and a solid post player and then they could build from there,” said Newell-Fonda coach Dick Jungers, who has led the Mustangs to four state championships in 24 years. “Now, some of the teams we play are struggling to have maybe even one or two good players in the whole program. It’s kind of concerning, but kids are putting their time elsewhere.”
The decline is particularly jarring in Iowa, a state with a rich history in girls’ and women’s basketball. It was the first to hold a state tournament for girls back in 1920. Yet, the reality on the ground is sobering. A handful of Iowa high schools have disbanded their programs due to a lack of interest. Many schools only have enough players for a single varsity team, and it’s not uncommon for junior varsity games to be shortened to two quarters because those players are needed to fill out the varsity roster.
This trend is a direct challenge to the narrative of a booming women’s game. While the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament shattered viewership records and the WNBA has seen attendance and interest soar, the grassroots foundation that feeds these leagues is eroding. The surge in popularity, exemplified by Clark’s prodigious numbers and dynamic style, has yet to translate into a bump in high school participation.
So, where are the girls going? Coaches and athletic officials point to a few key factors. The rise of club volleyball, with its season that directly conflicts with the traditional winter basketball schedule, has siphoned off athletes. Furthermore, the growth of girls wrestling, which became a sanctioned sport in Iowa in 2022-23, has drawn players away from the hardwood. Beyond competing sports, the nature of basketball itself presents a challenge.
“Coaches also say basketball skills, more than in other sports, are hard to develop and that the disparity between serious and casual players has never been greater,” the report from The Associated Press states. “They said girls tend to get discouraged and quit by middle school if they struggle. The physical aspects of the game — the running and bumping — also turn off some players.”
Even Clark’s own high school program has felt the pinch. At Class 5A Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines, the number of girls trying out for the team has dropped from around 40 a decade ago to just 28 this season. This reality has spurred action, with coaches like Dowling’s Kristin Meyer and Jungers serving on an Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union task force to find solutions.
Meyer suggests a fundamental shift in how young players are developed, proposing a focus on three-on-three games until fifth grade to give more girls opportunities to handle the ball and develop skills. She also emphasizes the need for more women in their 20s and 30s to coach at the youth level, as they are often more relatable to young girls than traditional “dad coaches.”
“I mean, who would you rather hang out with if you’re that age?” Meyer asked.
In Newell and Fonda, they seem to have found a piece of that solution. The program’s success has woven basketball into the very fabric of the community. Games are major social events, complete with pregame suppers in the school cafeteria and livestreams that draw up to 2,500 views. For the Vanderhoff family, it’s a tradition passed down through generations.
“I think it’s what you do even if you don’t have athletic talent,” said Andrea Vanderhoff, laughing. “Everyone just wants to be a part of it.”
This community-driven model stands as a powerful example of what it takes to keep girls engaged in the sport. As the rest of the state and the nation grapple with the paradox of a booming game with a shrinking pipeline, the question becomes: how can the passion seen in Newell be cultivated in communities across Iowa and the country before the talent that fuels the Caitlin Clarks of the future runs dry?
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