Annabelle Miles was starstruck by the Caps from a very young age. Seven years later she is still inspired by their talent, dedication and friendliness to fans. Photo: UC Capitals.
It was happy hour at the bar in Fiji; the crowd was rowdy and couldn’t understand why one Aussie family was cheering so enthusiastically.
Canberra’s Rick and Emma Miles, and their 12-year-old daughter Annabelle, were glued to an iPad, all thoughts of their resort holiday forgotten as they tuned in to watch their beloved Caps in action.
With patchy reception, they were also frantically messaging their Caps ‘family’ at home to keep up with the live feed of the game against the Southside Flyers on 25 January (which the UC Capitals went on to win 94-79).
Emma readily admits they are die-hard supporters.
“I think, as a parent, the Caps just demonstrate everything you’d like your child to get out of playing sport,” she says.
For Annabelle, the appeal was instant when her parents took her to an exhibition game about seven years ago.
The five-year-old, tall for her age and learning to play basketball at school, was drawn to the towering presence of (former player) Lauren Scherf.
Here were female sports players she could really look up to.
“They are really elite athletes, you could see their passion – plus I loved how the girls in the warm-up wave to you,” she says.
An inspired Annabelle kept playing and the family started going to more and more games, even travelling to Sydney to cheer on the WNBL team.
From the powerful prowess of the players to their positivity on and off the court, there’s something about the Caps that captivates fans, according to Rick, who only played basketball for fun in primary school.
“I love the game,” he says. “It’s not just that they play with such skill and finesse, but I really respect how much these players sacrifice to provide us with this entertainment.
“And no matter the outcome of the game, the players always make time for their fans and community. They stay on the court, they sign posters and take photos … you don’t always see that with elite athletes in other sporting codes.”
Rick and Emma Miles are longstanding and proud ‘super fans’ of the Caps, along with their 12-year-old daughter Annabelle. Photo: UC Capitals.
Such is Rick’s enthusiasm, he’s become a dab hand at creating giant placards to cheer on the players, with pithy slogans like ‘Charli and the Bucket Factory’ or the ‘KG-23’ sign from seasons past – an ode to former Cap Kelsey Griffin and a cheeky crack at the fact the (men’s) ACT Brumbies rugby team have their own licence plates.
“My dad makes lots of posters for the Caps,” Annabelle says.
Annabelle, who plays for the Radford College U-14s open team and trains three nights a week, loves that her height plays a factor in her favourite sport – “and that you can be a little bit aggressive!”
She holds close the words of encouragement she’s received from leading lights, including Carrie Graff and (now UC Caps general manager) Lucille Bailie.
“They told me to be strong, tall and have confidence on the court – I like that,” says Annabelle, who also attends Caps camps during school holidays.
She takes every opportunity to meet, mix with and promote the team, including as part of school assignments.
Annabelle Miles (right) who plays for Radford College, with one of her Caps idols, captain Jade Melbourne. Photo: Supplied.
In Term 3, 2024 Annabelle completed a detailed project covering the gender pay gap in basketball; she made badges and bookmarks to encourage students and staff to attend Caps games.
“I feel like there needs to be more recognition of the Caps because they do so much for women’s sport and bring joy to everyone,” Annabelle says.
Emma, Rick and Annabelle are proudly platinum members – complete with “awesome seats” to games and all the merch loyal fans love!
With a family pass of four tickets, the tight-knit trio always try to invite an extra along to games to share their love of the sport.
Over the years, they’ve made a lot of friends and now have a family of fellow Caps supporters.
“I’m still learning a lot, but I do love the atmosphere,” Emma says.
“To see the joy it brings your child and the level of skill, sportsmanship and dedication on display … well, that’s everything you want your child to see and do in sport!”
The UC Capitals take on Sydney on 9 February and Bendigo on 15 February at AIS. Tip-off at 3:30 pm. Get your tickets from Ticketek.
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