Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Cricket CEO Gavin Dovey says international cricket will return to TIO stadium after 15 years with a drop-in cricket pitch being installed

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NT Cricket CEO Gavin Dovey says international cricket will return to TIO stadium after 15 years with a drop-in cricket pitch being installed · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now.
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  Speaker 2: International Cricket is returning to TiO Stadium VI June for
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: the first time in fifteen years, and efforts are underway
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  Speaker 2: to install the dropping cricket pitch ahead of the Under
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: nineteens Men's World Cup qualifier between New Zealand and Papua
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: New Guinea. The Northern Territory Government's contributing three hundred and
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: fifty thousand dollars towards the project and is stumping up
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  Speaker 2: fifty thousand to help NT Cricket to host the clashes
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: and joining me on the line to tell us more.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: It is NT Cricket CEO Gavin Dovey.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Gav.
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  Speaker 3: Hey, Katie, thanks for having me.
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  Speaker 1: Great to have you on the show.
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  Speaker 2: How long has this work been well in the works?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that Phoebe. I mean I've only been in the
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  Speaker 3: role for a couple of months, but my predecessor, John
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  Speaker 3: Morrison and the board here I think for a while
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  Speaker 3: we've been trying to get a dropping wicket back into too,
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  Speaker 3: and I think last year we saw an opportunity to
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: align that to getting these ICC Under nineteens qualifiers here,
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  Speaker 3: So yesterday I'm thrilled to see those two things come together.
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  Speaker 1: And I do remember speaking to well to Joel about it.
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  Speaker 2: I think it was last year and we were really
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  Speaker 2: hoping that it would mean that there'd be more international cricket.
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  Speaker 2: Why was the drop in pitch the way to go?
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  Speaker 2: Is that the best option?
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  Speaker 3: Well, I think there's only one venue in the territory
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  Speaker 3: that's ICC credited and that's TiO Stadium. So you know,
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  Speaker 3: that's the critical piece of infrastructure for us here in
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  Speaker 3: terms of getting that up and running, and that's sort
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  Speaker 3: of the gateway then for getting international cricket here. We'll
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  Speaker 3: start with these under nineteen qualifiers and then hopefully, you know,
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  Speaker 3: that'll be the lead to getting more international contents down
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  Speaker 3: the track. You know, that's certainly our aim and our ambition.
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  Speaker 2: I reckon the territory would absolutely love that, gave tell
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  Speaker 2: us with these qualifiers, with the Under nineteen Men's World
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  Speaker 2: Cup qualify, is it just the one match or is
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  Speaker 2: there going to be be more?
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  Speaker 3: No, it's an event that will take place between the
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  Speaker 3: twelfth and the twenty first of June. The twenty one Games.
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  Speaker 3: Sevent teams are battling it out to get a final
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  Speaker 3: spot in the Under nineteen World Cup next year and
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  Speaker 3: of those twenty one games, we're going to see through
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  Speaker 3: them at TOO Stadium. So the first one of those
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  Speaker 3: will be on the eighteenth of June when the Kiwis
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  Speaker 3: take on Papa New Guinea, and then there'll be another
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  Speaker 3: one on the nineteenth and the twenty first. So yeah,
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  Speaker 3: thrill that will be able to have through those games
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  Speaker 3: over at Too. But for those that love their cricket,
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  Speaker 3: they'll be able to see, you know, some of these
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  Speaker 3: other games at DX Arena here, Gardens over and the like.
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  Speaker 3: So there's going to be plenty of cricket happening around Dula.
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  Speaker 1: That's massive.
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  Speaker 2: That's a real coup for us in the territory, isn't
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  Speaker 2: it to see that kind of talent on display. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: we're talking about cricket's future.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, and I think I mean the growth and the
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  Speaker 3: popularity of cricket around the world is phenomenal, and the
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  Speaker 3: age of Spacific region is a great example of that.
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  Speaker 3: Of some of the countries participating here, you might not
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  Speaker 3: necessarily associate with cricket countries like Indonesia in Japan, but
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  Speaker 3: the governments are investing a lot of money in sort
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  Speaker 3: of cricket development. So really exciting, really exciting to see
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  Speaker 3: them playing here and seeing some sort of the talent
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  Speaker 3: that are going to be coming through the ranks and
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  Speaker 3: most likely playing franchise cricket around the world in the future.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, no doubt about it.
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  Speaker 2: Now with this dropping cricket pitch, Like, how important is
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  Speaker 2: it for us in terms of trying to draw even
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  Speaker 2: bigger matches and even more cricket action to the territory.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, you know, as I said before, it's it's critical.
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  Speaker 3: You know, the ICC A credit a certain amount of
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  Speaker 3: venues in each country to host full scale senior internationals,
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  Speaker 3: and toos is accredited here and so we needed to
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  Speaker 3: get a dropping pitch back into it. There hasn't been
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  Speaker 3: a wicket into for fifteen years. It's been a long,
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  Speaker 3: a long garp and you know, we haven't hosted a
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  Speaker 3: Test match in two thousand and four, the last one
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  Speaker 3: day was two thousand and eight, and we've never hosted
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  Speaker 3: a T twenty international here. So you know, you is
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  Speaker 3: that you know that that's got to change and we're
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  Speaker 3: really intent on changing it. So well, we got it
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  Speaker 3: in yesterday. We'll see these under nineteens games played. We're
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  Speaker 3: also thrilled that we're going to going to be able
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  Speaker 3: to play some three six five, some cricket three six
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  Speaker 3: five content on there and and then you know, hopefully
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  Speaker 3: we can then start putting our hand up to Cricket
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  Speaker 3: Australia to say, look, you know, bring to one dayers
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  Speaker 3: or some T twenties here in the future, and we're
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  Speaker 3: going to be working pretty hard to make that happen.
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  Speaker 2: Oh Gav, how soon are you hoping that that might
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  Speaker 2: actually happen? Have you given yourself a time frame? Well,
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  Speaker 2: just as soon as we can.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, it's always nice to under promise and
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  Speaker 3: over deliver so of work ahead of it, but I'd
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  Speaker 3: say this season and next season will be critical to
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  Speaker 3: get the pitch right, run as as good of content
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  Speaker 3: as we can on it, and then I've sort of
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  Speaker 3: got a marker on twenty twenty five has potentially been
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  Speaker 3: the year where I think we'll be ready. I think
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  Speaker 3: there's some T twenties and one days that year that
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  Speaker 3: I reckon we could go after. So I'm optimistic and
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  Speaker 3: we'll be working really hard to try and get astray
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  Speaker 3: here that year. I reckon it'd be great to get
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  Speaker 3: to the Australian with the team here as well. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: they're just they're phenomenal. Their record in recent years and
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  Speaker 3: their achievements have just been unbelievable. So I'd love to
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  Speaker 3: be able to get you straight with A's team here
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  Speaker 3: as well at some point.
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  Speaker 2: And how incredible, you know, for our youngsters as well
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  Speaker 2: to see cricket of that caliber and level happening here
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  Speaker 2: in the territory.
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  Speaker 1: It's you know, it's.
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  Speaker 2: It's one of those things where it gives the kids
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  Speaker 2: something to look up to. And we know even at
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  Speaker 2: the moment the nationals are taking place with our school
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  Speaker 2: students from the territory and from right around the nation.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, it's really important. I think I've been lucky
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  Speaker 3: to see firsthand. And you're a parent like many of you,
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  Speaker 3: you just you see the power that that you know,
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  Speaker 3: these sporting superstars have on you, on your kids. And
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  Speaker 3: I think we'd love to get to a point where
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  Speaker 3: all the boys and girls that love cricket here in
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  Speaker 3: the territory and dream of wearing the baggy green or
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  Speaker 3: playing cricket for their country just get a chance to
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  Speaker 3: watch their heroes in their backyard, get an opportunity to
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  Speaker 3: to see them and connect with her and you know,
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  Speaker 3: I think that's incredibly powerful from what I've seen, so
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  Speaker 3: I love to be able to make that happen. And
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  Speaker 3: as you said, the under twelve National champ are taking
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  Speaker 3: place here at the moment and we've seen some amazing
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  Speaker 3: games here over the last couple of days and it
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  Speaker 3: was sort of reminds you about what sports all about.
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  Speaker 2: How are they going, Gavin? Are they all doing pretty well?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah? Pretty good? Yeah, doing pretty well. I mean the
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  Speaker 3: spirit in which the cricket's been played been in fantastic
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  Speaker 3: and our boys in particular, the NTA Boys had a
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: great win the other day over Victoria which was just
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  Speaker 3: fantastic to see. So yeah, I think crickets in pretty
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: good hands. I reckon just looking at the talent from
• 7:41
  Speaker 3: around the country that's been on display, it's been really good.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it is phenomenal.
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  Speaker 2: And Gav, you've obviously taken took the reins of NTA
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: cricket a couple of months ago. How's it going, because
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: previously you were managing the Australian cricket team, weren't you.
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  Speaker 3: I was, Yeah, yeah, big Jamey, I did that for
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: a while. Very very lucky and privilege to do that.
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  Speaker 3: For a decent period. But I'm thoroughly enjoying the role here,
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  Speaker 3: thoroughly enjoying the time in Darwin and the territory of
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  Speaker 3: my family who joined it, and just an incredible community,
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  Speaker 3: very welcoming and everyone made us through it home pretty quick.
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  Speaker 3: So I'm really excited about hopefully spending a long time
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  Speaker 3: here and doing some good things with cricket and the community. Well.
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  Speaker 2: Wonderful stuff And Gavin, no doubt we'll catch up again
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  Speaker 2: very soon, but keep us up to date with, you know,
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  Speaker 2: with any of that movement when it comes to the
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  Speaker 2: international cricket coming back to the territory, but anything else
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: great that's going on with cricket.
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  Speaker 1: Mate, Thank you, Yeah, fantastic. Thanks that nice Katie, Thank
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: you