CA declined to comment on the bid for Canberra BBL and state teams when contacted by this masthead,but both Boorer and Cricket ACT’s chief executive Olivia Thornton were guests of the governing body during the New Year’s Test in Sydney.
“As we stand today,all it would require would be four of the six states to agree,and also four of the six states to agree for Canberra to have a first-class team or a BBL team,” Boorer told the committee.
Greg Boorer,Cricket ACT chair.Credit:Mark Nolan
“Naturally,everyone is concerned about the cost,which would mean,in their view,potentially dividing the pie,whereas I think it’s more of a question of growing the pie for everybody to participate on an equal footing.”
Boorer’s testimony to a committee that includes the likes of ACT independent senator David Pocock,as well as senators and members of the lower house from both major political parties,was concluded with a very clear message about what he was trying to achieve.
“Having a team in the national competition is number one,” Boorer said.
“It’s not just men’s BBL;it’s also women’s BBL because it’s very difficult for the elite-level females to remain in Canberra when there’s the carrot of playing first-class cricket and BBL in other states. That’s one.
“The second would be changing the governance. You might have to do one or the other – priority one or two – to make either actually happen.”
Following Boorer’s appearance,Cricket ACT answered questions on notice from Pocock that included queries about the likely effects of CA being pressured to broaden their governance via the reduction of federal funding.
The Cricket ACT submission argued,among other things,that inclusion of an extra team in the BBL,in particular,would potentially increase national revenue for the game through broadcast rights.
“Cricket Australia’s strategic plan (2022-27) is underpinned by the ultimate belief that cricket is truly a game for all,a belief that Cricket ACT also shares,” Cricket ACT stated in its response.
“In saying this,however,the current governance structure does not truly reflect this belief,in that the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are not officially recognised in Cricket Australia’s constitution.
“If cricket is genuinely a sport for all that makes Australians proud (Cricket Australia’s vision),then Cricket Australia’s governance structure should be truly representative of the entire Australian population via representation from all eight state/territory jurisdictions.”
Similarly,the submission argued that inclusion of additional teams would provide greater opportunities for players both in Canberra and around the country,with Manuka Oval already a venue that had proved its capacity to host a number of matches via its use during recent COVID-affected BBL seasons.
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“There is a perception that the introduction of a seventh male elite program would dilute the quality of the playing field/competition,” Cricket ACT wrote.
“We do not subscribe to this theory as there is enough ‘talent’ to spread across seven jurisdictions (noting that 30 per cent of the 2021-22 contracted list did not take the field).”
The ACT did have a team - the Canberra Comets - in Australia’s domestic one-day cricket competition for three seasons in the late 1990s. Former Australian Test players Merv Hughes and Mike Veletta played for the Comets in that era,and Brad Haddin got his start with the team before later becoming Australian wicketkeeper.