Ricky Stuart's move to bring the Canberra Raiders into camp ahead of home games has been a factor in sport's feel-good story of the year, and now Cricket ACT will look to follow suit.
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Cricket ACT have struck a landmark three-year sponsorship deal with Abode Hotels to provide the Meteors with a base ahead of the 2016-17 Women's National Cricket League season.
With Meteors players hailing from Sydney and Melbourne, Cricket ACT chief executive Cameron French said the deal would provide them with a "home away from home".
"I think the Raiders is one of the great success stories of the year and having that consistency in preparation is a really important thing for our sides," French said.
"To have the girls come in, base themselves at Abode and prepare for games and play, I think it's a real advantage for us."
French said the opening of Phillip Oval's high-performance centre would be "the final piece in the jigsaw" to develop women's cricket as Big Bash League talks continued with Cricket Australia.
"It's certainly a work in progress and we continue to speak to Cricket Australia about BBL participation," French said.
"In the interim, though, we've started to speak to Sydney Thunder about what content could the Thunder have in the region."
French said Cricket Australia has adopted a "one club, two teams" philosophy which would see the nation's capital host both a women's side and a men's outfit.
Cricket ACT director of high performance Aiden Blizzard, a BBL winner in his own right, said the partnership was a big step towards professionalising the women's game.
"It's going to make a big difference for our female cricketers," Blizzard said.
"I think we're doing some great stuff at the grassroots levels all the way through to our elite, so it's great to be recognised."
Blizzard said the signing of former Australian batter Jodie Fields would go a long way towards ensuring the Meteors became a force to be reckoned with in years to come.
"We've got some really talented young players, so someone like Jodie definitely helps to mentor and nurture their talent," Blizzard said.
"Talent goes a long way but to have the quality mentors and coaches around is a big step forward."
As teammate Erin Osborne jokingly questioned what to call Fields in lieu of "old", the former Queensland skipper said she would prefer the term "wiser" having seen a host of changes sweep through the women's game since her debut in 2000.
"To see the changes in women's sport, not just in cricket but across the whole women's sport domain is really exciting," Fields said.
"There's always room to grow but I think we've seen some really exciting times with the Rio Olympics in the women's rugby sevens.
"Across all sports women athletes are becoming known. They train hard, they play hard, and we're all working hard for the same cause."
The Meteors' season begins on October 14 at the WACA.
