Alice Springs loses National Indigenous Cricket Championships

The NT has lost out on a major national competition it started and has hosted for the past eight years with Cricket Australia moving it interstate. Read the latest.

The National Indigenous Cricket Championships will not be held in the Northern Territory next year, following Cricket Australia’s move to place it interstate.

The championships have been based in Alice Springs for the past eight years, however Cricket Australia announced on Tuesday they would be moved to Mackay in Queensland.

The move means the championships will be held at Great Barrier Reef Arena and Harrup Park Mackay from April 2-7, 2025.

The decision follows discussions with state and territory governments about the opportunity to secure and host CA events and national tournaments over the next seven seasons.

NT Cricket chief executive Gavin Dovey said it was disappointing for the competition not to be held in the NT going forward, but that he looked forward to potentially bringing it back.

“We believe Mparntwe is the spiritual home of Indigenous cricket so we would have liked to see this important cultural sporting event remain in Central Australia in 2025 and beyond,” he said.

The National Indigenous Cricket Championships Men's Final match between New South Wales and Queensland at Traeger Park on February 03, 2020 in Alice Springs, Australia. Picture: Albert Perez - CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images

“However, we respect the process that has been undertaken by Cricket Australia and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cricket Advisory Group (NATSICAC).

“We look forward to the opportunity to work with the new NT government to bring the event home at some point in the future.

“We also acknowledge the feedback from Indigenous players who have expressed a desire to see this event connect with country, cultures, and communities in other regions around the country.”

NT Cricket extended its gratitude to the Alice Springs Town Council, NT government and Alice Springs Cricket Association for supporting the event over the past eight years.

The event was born from the Imparja Cup, which has been running for 31 years and will continue in Alice Springs in February 2025.

NT Cricket said it would continue to focus on driving increased participation and engagement of indigenous communities at a community, school and grassroots level.

That includes the growth of remote carnivals such as the Dingo Cup (Timber Creek), Barra Cup (Borroloola), Nitmiluk Cup (Katherine) and the Rossy Williams Shield (Tennant Creek).