Canberra Capitals star Keely Froling prepared for life in a WNBL bubble

Capitals players and staff are still waiting for Basketball Australia to make a decision on when the season will start, initially scheduled for November 20, and whether the format will see teams enter a hub.

North Queensland has emerged as a leading option to host all eight clubs following a joint bid between Townsville City Council and Tourism and Events Queensland.

A successful bid would include 14 regular season rounds, semi-finals and a three-game grand final series in Townsville, with Mackay and Cairns also in line to host games.

The Capitals' playing roster is beginning to filter into Canberra with Keely Froling, Marianna Tolo, Kelsey Griffin, Abby Cubillo and Alex Delaney on deck. Britt Smart is undergoing quarantine in a hotel after arriving from Melbourne.

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But Paul Goriss' squad is training with no certainty on a tip-off date, leaving coaches and players to lean on WNBA counterparts for an understanding of life in the bubble.

"It's really hard to mentally prepare for something when you're not really sure what's happening," Froling said.

"We've really had the mindset of preparing as is. Whatever happens, happens. We want to be as ready as we can be, so that's why we are picking up our training now in case they start [in November]. It's easier to do that than go the other way.

"We've spoken to some of the WNBA girls, they said it was really hard. They were in a super strict bubble, they weren't allowed out. They said it was quite hard, being away from family.

"Hopefully they can give their input to the league and we can work around that if we do go down that path. It's the environment, without it we might not get a season, so we've got to weigh those things up."

Olympic Games hopeful Froling is among 11 elite athlete students from the University of Canberra have been awarded a $10,000 Eldon and Anne Foote elite athlete scholarship.

The scholarship is part of the University's commitment to support the elite athlete cohort, helping them to balance study and an intensive training schedule.

Froling says the scholarship is a huge boost in the current economic climate which has clubs across a raft of sports working overtime to map out sponsorship and membership packages.

"We've got to wait until news comes down from Basketball Australis on what it's going to look like, and then get our skates on and deal with whatever comes our way," University of Canberra director of sport Carrie Graf said.

"Until we hear officially, we're in a planning and holding pattern. Once we know exactly what's happening, we'll get to planning."