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On a Monday morning in Melbourne's south-east, a dozen women gather one by one in a suburban basketball court.
The kids are at school and daycare, partners are at work. Their phones are switched off, their laces are tied.
For the next hour, they are not mums or wives or bosses or colleagues, they're basketballers.
Under the guidance of WNBL players from the Melbourne Boomers, these women develop their skills, meet new friends and have fun.
This is Mamma Ball.
The brainchild of Bernie Dodd, executive director and head of people, finance and administration at the Melbourne Boomers, Mamma Ball came from Bernie's personal experience as a mum of four.
She participated in a basketball program where she could drop her kids off at a makeshift daycare provided in the club rooms and get on the court.
This time was often the only time of the week that she was able to do something for herself.
"I've always played sport and the people that I play with just make my life better," she said.
"And in the lowest parts of your life, when you have sport, it just makes those hard times easier."
No pressure, just fun
Mamma Ball has provided more than 100 women opportunities to play basketball in a safe and inclusive space since it launched in 2021.
The program delivers accessible fitness and opportunities to socialise with other mums without feeling the pressure to play. The mums can participate however they want, whenever they want.
Dodd began seeking out people in a similar position, wanting to either get back into the game or give it a go, but who had parental responsibilities.
It took Dodd a while to get a decent number of people participating to improve the experience, but it steadily grew.
"[The numbers] made the sessions exciting, because you need a certain number [of players] to be able to run the program well," she said.
Dodd sent brochures to primary schools and clubs in South-East Melbourne, asking them to promote and get behind the program.
She only expected a dozen or so people to show up on the court — she never imagined there would be a three-month waitlist.
Now, after three years of sessions with terms consistently booked out, Dodd is still in disbelief that she would touch the hearts of so many women who missed basketball after stepping away to have their babies.
"One lady in particular, who just works for herself on her own … every Wednesday she jumps out of bed because she knows she's going to be with people for an hour."
Danni Price, one of the longest Mamma Ball participants, first participated in the program for a fun, active and social activity having not played for over ten years since having three kids.
"It means being part of a team, staying fit and healthy, and getting out of the house and having lots of fun" she said.
"The program was free and no commitment was needed from us busy mamas who may need to cancel at the last minute."
For Cathy Ciurlino, the same reasons for joining Mamma Ball ring true.
"There's not many opportunities for ladies to train in an environment that's relaxed, and [at Mamma Ball] you feel comfortable, even if you are not overly fit," she said.
Helping coaches too
Mamma Ball has not only served as a great community for mums but also a great experience for other women in the basketball community.
The program is run and coached by players and affiliated members from the Melbourne Boomers.
Previous coaches have included previously listed Boomers players Rachael Brewster and Bella Niven-Brown.
Niven-Brown, who was only a development player under the Boomers, had only ever coached kids and soon found the program allowed her to develop her leadership skills.
It became "something on the side that brings that extra joy", she said.
Zoe Zwerling – a current coach for the program – was approached to coach Mamma Ball, having experience in running training camps for kids over the school holidays.
"It's similar to coaching the kids," she said.
"But the mums are way better behaved and quicker to learn."
As they're running around taking their kids to school, practices and other extra-curricular activities, Zwerling says other mums confide in her that "they themselves struggle with having their own communities and hobbies".
Participants have described to Zwerling that heading down to the courts on a Monday morning is "better than forcing myself up to go to the gym" as certain spaces such as sporting clubs and gyms are "predominantly male based".
The demographic of women participating in Mamma Ball is diverse, with some women having never picked up a basketball before and some having not played in 20-30 years.
As any athlete can relate to, jumping headfirst into a sport you're revisiting or completely new to is scary.
But new players are welcomed with open arms.
Dodd is looking forward to continuing to grow the program and make it even more inclusive.
"Although we have a few single mums, it is a wide range of people, both young people and older," she said.
"Recently, we've had individuals from the LGBTQ+ community join and it is an important social wellbeing aspect for them and us."
Without this program, hundreds of women who may not have ever returned to sport have been given the opportunity to do so, alongside Dodd who could never have imagined that there were so many women like her, having to choose between their sport or their family.
ABC Sport is partnering with Siren Sport to elevate the coverage of Australian women in sport.
Sienna Nobile is a writer and sport lover, starting her journey in sports journalism alongside her adoration for short stories and unpublished manuscripts.