Lucille Bailie steps down as Caps GM, takes on role with the WNBL
After serving as the General Manager of the UC Capitals for the past seven years, Lucille Bailie is stepping down from her post and moving onto the WNBL Head Office as the league’s new Club Growth and Engagement Manager.
Lucille has been a longtime member of the Capitals family, joining the club in the 2000/01 season and captaining the Caps to back-to-back WNBL Championships in 2002 and 2003.
Across four seasons with the team, she played 85 games and amassed 951 points (11.2ppg), 559 rebounds (6.6rpg), and 94 assists (1.1apg). She debuted in the WNBL in the 80s, was recognised as the inaugural WNBL Rookie of the Year, represented Australia in Junior and Senior World Championships, and has spent her career advocating for vibrant and successful women’s sports in Australia both on and off the court.
“It’s been an absolute privilege to have been part of the Capitals family as a player, a captain, and since 2018, an administrator. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and the blueprint for continued program growth that we’ve established,” Lucille says.
During Lucille’s time as the team’s General Manager, the Caps were a model of excellence – on the court, the team won championships in 2019 and 2020, and off the court, she helped build relationships that further strengthened the Caps brand in the Canberra community and across the country.
She departs off the back of a strong, resurgent season for the club, overseeing the move back into the AIS arena, increasing game attendance, and falling just shy of a finals berth. She joins the WNBL during an exciting time in the league’s history, as it transitions to its new ownership, the Wollemi Capital Group Syndicate and NBL consortium.
“Like so many, I’m excited and enthusiastic about the upcoming transformation of the WNBL and it’s a dream come true to play a part in the team tasked with delivering the new vision.” Lucille says.
“There’s a recurring theme in women’s basketball across the globe – a phenomenal growth that is transformative and frankly, what we’ve all been waiting for. When the new ownership outlined the vision for the reimagined WNBL to be the best league in the world, it made sense for me to step up and be part of the team tasked with bringing that to reality.”
Incoming WNBL CEO Jennie Sager has hit the ground running building a talented and passionate team only recently announcing Lauren Jackson joining as a special adviser. She will now have Lucille’s vast experience and network to tap into as well.
“I’m proud to have Lucille join us to help shape this next chapter of women’s basketball in Australia. Lucille has incredible experience on and off the court, which is essential in the role she’ll play for both the WNBL and the clubs.”
“We are heading into the 2025/26 season with the shared goal of elevating the game, clubs, and athletes and it’s important that we work together to take the WNBL to new heights,” Sager said.
The UC Capitals are currently in the process of recruiting a suitable successor that will continue to build on the foundation that Lucille has set for the club.