NT CLP government announce $2 million in funding to cricket in the Territory
It’s a ‘huge day for cricket’, the chief executive behind the sport in the Territory says, with the government announcing millions in funding for the sport. Find out how much they’re going to get.
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Northern Territory cricket is getting a multi-million dollar boost for the next four years, in what the sport’s boss is calling a “huge day for cricket”.
Announced at Albrecht Oval in Larapinta, west of Alice Springs, on Friday, the NT CLP government will commit $2 million in funding to the sport over the next four years.
NT Cricket chief executive Gavin Dovey said the announcement was a “huge day for cricket” in the Territory.
“Today’s announcement is about making cricket more accessible to our Indigenous communities and removing genuine barriers to participation,” he said.
“We can’t wait to put this funding to work, start delivering programmes and continue to promote cricket as an inclusive sport where everyone belongs.
“This funding is going to allow us to employ more people, deliver more programmes, provide equipment and resources, upskill local community people to ensure that that cricket is an option and a choice for those that live in remote regional areas of the Territory.”
The funding was predominately focused on increasing participation, Mr Dovey said, “but we also recognise infrastructure is a really important part of sport”.
“We’ll continue to try and work with the the CLP government and the federal government to try and ensure that we we can develop infrastructure that goes hand in hand with this funding,” he said.
The sport has always had a rich history in Central Australia with the largest Indigenous cricket carnival in the country, the Imparja Cup, hosted in Alice Springs.
It led to the National Indigenous Cricket Competition, which was only recently moved from its original home to Mackay in Queensland.
Katherine’s D’Arcy Short competed at the Imparja Cup and is one of only eight Indigenous players to have competed in an Australian team across all formats since 1880.
NT National Indigenous Cricket Championships men’s captain Lachlan Dunemann said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were integral to the Australian cricket story.
“However, many of our regional and remote Indigenous communities face real barriers to playing or connecting with the sport,” he said.
“This investment will make a significant impact in cricket participation, engagement and representation for our people, and help ensure cricket continues to be known as an inclusive sport where everyone belongs.”
Also at the press conference was NT sports, people, and culture minister Jinson Charls, who showed off his skills with the bat by hitting a ball for six off of the bowling of NT planning minister Josh Burgoyne.
Mr Charls said cricket – and other sports – was a great way for communities to connect, with the funding set to promote “health, wellbeing, and social cohesion in our remote and regional communities”.
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Originally published as NT CLP government announce $2 million in funding to cricket in the Territory
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