Basketball pioneer Lucille Bailie recalls washing car windscreens for $2 as part of team fundraising and says women's sport will return to the "dark ages" if the ABC follows through with its decision to axe television coverage of the WNBL and W-League soccer next season.
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Bailie, the most capped WNBL player of all time, will present a petition of almost 5000 signatures to Canberra's ABC office on Thursday, part of a coordinated national protest against the national broadcaster's decision to cut coverage of the two women's leagues.
Australian Opals coach Brendan Joyce and Canberra Capitals veteran Jess Bibby will be part of the Canberra contingent to march into the ABC, while Australian basketball captains Lauren Jackson, Michelle Timms and Rachel Sporn are among past and present players who have joined the national cause.
Bailie, who played 377 WNBL games, said she was "shattered" by the ABC's decision due to budget concerns and said she couldn't sit idle.
"Sometimes things happen, you sigh, sit back and go 'that's life'. But I'm sorry, this is not the right decision, it's shattering," said Bailie, who went on to captain the Capitals.
"I remember playing for the Tassie Islanders and standing on a street corner washing car windscreens for $2-a-pop to raise money for the team. It's a step backwards. There's been so much work over a long, long time and everyone of those players that are delivering petitions to ABC across the country would have their own stories.
"Cutting the broadcast would take this sport back to the dark ages of world class female athletes standing on street corners washing windscreens ... it's just not the right decision."
Petitions are also being presented in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
Jackson, internationally recognised as Australia's greatest female basketballer, has previously labelled the ABC's decision "shameful".
"It's crunch time, we want the ABC to change its mind," Jackson said. "Surely there is an alternative option that doesn't have the same far-reaching impacts to women, sport and health."
Timms said: "It's shocking that the ABC would do this when the league has never been stronger."
Bailie was confident the national action would trigger the ABC to reassess its decision. While the lack of free-to-air broadcasting could affect sponsorship of women's sport, Bailie said there were also wider implications on grassroots sport.
"I was sitting on the couch with my six-year-old daughter Finn the other day, she was watching cricket and she said 'why don't girls play cricket?' I had to tell her 'they do, it's just that it's not broadcast on TV, in fact the Australian women's cricket team are world class and amazing athletes'.
"Kids - boys and girls - need role models and frankly they need more quality role models. Let's face it, there's some pretty dubious role models in sport ... and across all industries. Right now we need more quality role models for kids, not less. To remove the WNBL and W-League broadcasting, to me that is just disappointing as a former WNBL player, but for kids and people who enjoy the game, it's the wrong decision.
"The ABC is a reasonable organisation and this is a reasonable request. The downside to axing the broadcast of these two women's sports far outweighs the good side."
