UC Capitals Return to Spiritual Home at the AIS Arena
The UC Capitals are excited to announce their return to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Arena, marking a significant milestone for the team and basketball fans across the nation.
Since 2017, the Capitals have played out of the National Convention Centre Canberra (NCCC) for regular season games, as well as community and school venues Southern Cross Stadium Tuggeranong and Radford College.
However, their last game at the iconic AIS Arena, also known as The Palace, was during their championship winning campaign in 2019/20.
Now, with the AIS undergoing a $15 million upgrade, including improvements in air conditioning, seating and lighting, the Capitals are thrilled to return to their spiritual home. The upgrades will effectively double the crowd capacity, allowing more fans to witness the excitement of live basketball.
“We are so grateful to the NCCC for the time we spent playing there but the time is now for the UC Capitals to be at a bigger, better and dedicated home venue, to allow for the growth we’re witnessing across women’s sport,” said UC Capitals General Manager Lucille Bailie.
“We no longer will have to turn fans away because we’ve reached capacity. Help us fill out the AIS Arena and be part of the journey!”
Returning to the AIS signifies more than just a change in venue for the Capitals, it symbolizes a new era of growth and opportunity for women’s basketball in Australia. With increased capacity and state-of-the-art facilities, fans can expect an unparalleled experience while supporting their favourite team.
Australian Sports Commission CEO Kieren Perkins OAM said the refurbished AIS Arena is the ideal venue to host some of the nation’s best athletes on a regular basis.
“The recent upgrades have brought the venue up to the standard that athletes and fans expect from a modern sporting venue with new seating, LED screens, new scoreboard and upgraded changerooms,” said Mr Perkins.
“This is a venue we want Canberrans to be proud of and we hope to make a string of exciting announcements in the coming months that will have the ACT community making regular use of the AIS Arena.”
The UC Capitals have one eye on what’s next, and we see a future that involves securing a dedicated training and playing venue for the team. This could come to fruition through the proposed high performance and community sports facility (Sports Hub 2) at the University of Canberra.
“The UC Capitals inspire a sense of hope and excitement that ripples through the Canberra community,” UC Director of Sport Carrie Graf said.
“With increased capacity at the AIS, we look forward to continuing to see enthusiastic crowds at games, demonstrating the wide-reaching impact of women’s high-performance sport.
“Sport lies at the heart of the University of Canberra and we strive to grow our community of people playing sport at UC. Our aspiration is to provide enhanced high-performance and community sports infrastructure at our Bruce Campus, to complement those facilities at the AIS and surrounds.”
The Capitals invite fans, old and new, to join them at the AIS Arena as they tip off season 2024/25. Memberships for the season will go on sale to the general in early September. Sign up for early access, here.