The University of Canberra (UC) Capitals will play their WNBL semi-final home games at Tuggeranong Stadium between 23-31 March, with the exact dates to be confirmed pending final ladder positions which will be settled after this round.
The AIS Arena’s indefinite closure combined with unavailability at the National Convention Centre Canberra (NCCC) unavailable and no other suitable basketball facilities in Canberra forced the Caps to explore alternative options to host their home semi-finals.
The WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, home to the Illawarra Hawks, was initially up for consideration as the nearest most suitable venue. However, the Wollongong venue was unavailable for the semi-finals dates.
Following an exhaustive search in other regions, General Manager of the UC Capitals, Lucille Bailie, said the importance of playing in front of the Caps members and home crowd, despite the reduced capacity, was the key factor in the club’s decision.
With no other local option, the UC Capitals were forced to commit to Tuggeranong’s community basketball stadium, where they haven’t played since upgrading to the NCCC and AIS Arena in 2015.
Tuggeranong Stadium, otherwise known as Southern Cross Basketball Stadium, can hold around 1300 to 1400 spectators, well below the club’s average finals attendance enjoyed in previous seasons.
To meet the WNBL’s venue and broadcasting requirements, the Stadium also required a number of last minute upgrades such as additional lighting and camera placements.
Should the Caps qualify for the three-game grand final series, the NCCC would be available.
Bailie said playing out of Tuggeranong is a “disappointing outcome”.
“The process of securing a local venue for the UC Caps semi finals, Canberra’s most successful sports team, has been exhausting and the outcome of playing in a venue that will accommodate just over 1,000 fans is less than ideal.
“We will do everything in our power to provide the league-leading home court atmosphere our athletes, members, supporters and sponsors deserve, but the real outcome we very much need is a dedicated playing and training venue.
“This is not a scenario we hope to see again and we’re committed to ensuring disruptions such as this are not repeated in future.
“We acknowledge the support of Basketball ACT, Basketball Australia and many local basketballers who’ve accommodated the change at the Southern Cross Stadium,” Bailie said.
In the event that the UC Capitals make the grand final, the NCCC will be available but capped at 1600 capacity – a significant drop from a crowd of 5,000 the club attracted during both the 2019 and 2020 championship games.
In the medium-to-long-term, UC’s planned indoor sport arena, as outlined in their 2021-2026 Sport Strategy will be the permanent, fit-for-purpose home the Caps have wanted for years now.
The University is currently in negotiations to receive Federal and ACT Government funding for the project, with UC Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Paddy Nixon, planning to have the arena built in the next “three or four years”.
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