Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Basketball NT CEO John Mitchell about the Territory joining a national competition

Transcript

Katie spoke with Basketball NT CEO John Mitchell about the Territory joining a national competition · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: In some really great news overnight. We've learned that it's
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: been described as a slam dunk for local sport. The
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: territory has been successful and it's been to enter Australia's
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: well semi professional competition, the NBL one. Now joining me
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: in the studio to tell us a little bit more
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: about the situation.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: It is John Mitchell, who's the.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: CEO of basketball here in the Northern Territory.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you.
• 0:25
  Speaker 3: John, Good morning Katie. How excited we are this morning, I.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Reckon it's fantastic news. Now to those out there listening
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: who maybe don't know exactly what the NBL one is,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: what is it exactly?
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: Well, it's just one level below the NBL, so the
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: best basketball in the country one level below that. But
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: it's taken off, really taken off right around the country
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: in the last couple of years, and we're very very
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: proud to be now playing in a national competition and
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: a sport that all states and territories are now involved in.
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: I don't think too many other sports in the country
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: that truly have that national effect. So we're very very excited.
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: And of course we've been working on this for some time.
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: We've partnered with Darwen Basketball Association. Kerrie Savage, the EEO
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: of Darwen Basketball Association, has done a mountain of work.
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: People are working behind the scenes in getting this to
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: this point. But of course there is so much more
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: to do as of today.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: And so it's in the men's and women's leagues as well,
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: isn't it. So there's the same pathways no matter what gender.
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: Oh absolutely, and we'll be looking for men's and women's coaches,
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: We'll be recruiting and looking at local players. As of today,
• 1:47
  Speaker 3: we're obviously looking probably at even a couple of imports,
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: possibly even from America and other countries to really make
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: our team very very compared if and you know, the
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: effect that it will have on our juniors coming through
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: will be just enormous. I mean, the aspirational effect will
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: be fantastic. And of course we've got these kids playing
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: all around the country now and we want them in
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: Darwen playing for a Darwin team so they can actually
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: live and enjoy the territory.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I was going to ask that we do have
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: quite a few great Northern Territory basketballers who are playing
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: all around the country at this point in time.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: Are you going to bring them back.
• 2:27
  Speaker 4: What are you going to do well?
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: We will have a list of about fifteen in each
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: of the teams, which obviously will give an opportunity. I mean,
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: it would be fantastic if we were able to get
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: Abby Cabillo back. She's playing in Canberra at the moment.
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: She's a sensational player playing in the WNBL. We would
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: love her to come back and play with us. Of course,
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: you know she was part of the World Cup some
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: years ago, so she would be tremendous for us. And
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: there are players, as I mentioned, young players that are
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: looking to extend their career in basketball. But we'll be
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: able to provide that opportunity right here in Darwin and John.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: Is there a bit of a budget because I know,
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: when it comes to putting together a sporting team, you know,
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: you do need to make sure that there's some money
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: in the bank.
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: Are the players going to be paid?
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: The players will be paid and the coaches will be paid.
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: We have put a budget together and presently obviously seeking
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: out further corporate partners. Obviously, the Northern Territary Government has
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: been very very supportive and we thank them very much.
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: We've been working with them.
• 3:39
  Speaker 3: But yes, that'll be a job, very very quick job
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: for the people involved carry and myself will be involved
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: in recruiting coaches and there will be some announcements being
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: made either later this week or early next week on
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: the men's and women's coach.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, good stuff, because I was thinking April twenty two
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: is when this for our teams, doesn't it.
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: That's right, April twenty two. We will probably go with
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: a couple of preseason games. We'll hopefully get all of
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: the players together just after Christmas, and obviously they'll be
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: located in Darwin and there will be lots and lots
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: of work for them to do in the development space.
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: We expect those players to work in schools and go
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: out to communities, et cetera, developing basketball as well, so
• 4:29
  Speaker 3: they'll have plenty to do in their off time.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Yeah, how important is it do you think to have
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: a team in both the men's and women's comp here
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: and really be able, you know, to show those juniors
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: that play basketball that there is that pathway staying here
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory.
• 4:44
  Speaker 3: Absolutely, it's vital, we believe, and that's a big part
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: of why we've developed this team going forward. And as
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: I say, the aspirational effects will be enormous. You know,
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: we've got kids coming through, you know, even five six
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: seven year oldys and girls coming through now, and they
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: can see a pathway above league, which is pretty good locally,
• 5:07
  Speaker 3: but then that elite team going from there, So the
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: pathway is vital going forward.
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: I mean some listening will be thinking gee, up until April,
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: it's not a huge amount of time to get your
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: playing roster sordered and to get your coaches sordered, new
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: volunteers and everybody involved.
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: Thank you very much, Katie for reminding me. We have
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: got a seven person working group established, and as you know,
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: the basketball community has a wealth of fantastic volunteers like
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: most sport, but we've got some great volunteers, and obviously
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: there will be opportunities for officials to be involved here
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: as well, so we're developing officials along the way as well.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: Katie John, what are the teams going to be called?
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: A very good question, and we've been working on our
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: marketing strategy and our branding, but perhaps Katie, your listeners
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: could we actually haven't come up with a We've got
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: three or four that we're thinking about, but we would
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: be more than happy for your listeners to provide perhaps
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: a couple of suggestions for us.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Well, we'll put it out there zero four double nine
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: to seven double one.
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: Three six zero text us through.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: If you've got an idea on what on what the
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: names of these teams could be. I'm assuming you need
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: a men's team name and a women's team.
• 6:25
  Speaker 4: Or would it be both the same?
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 6:28
  Speaker 4: Yeah, we go with both the same Aerican.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: But do you want it to have a territory flat?
• 6:31
  Speaker 4: I think absolutely absolutely.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: You've already been taken.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: A lot of them have been taken, like the Cyclones
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: And yes, it's the Taipe hands is all that?
• 6:42
  Speaker 4: That's right. I'll tell you we did a whiteboard exercise.
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: We came up with eighty names just a couple of
• 6:48
  Speaker 3: weeks ago, and we got rid of about seventy eight
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: of those. Very difficult, because you're right, we'd really like
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: to come up with something original. But it's got to
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: be marketing. It's going to be actually easy to barrack for.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's got to sound a bit tough, doesn't it.
• 7:05
  Speaker 4: Absolutely?
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Yeah, you don't want it to be you don't
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: want it to be you know, yeah, anything too soft
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: the Redcliffe Dolphins. I'm sure they're still going to be
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: pretty tough in the rugby league, but Dolphins doesn't really
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: give you that that tough feeling doesn't.
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: But we'll get there, we'll and you know, we'll probably
• 7:22
  Speaker 3: have to do it in the next month or so,
• 7:23
  Speaker 3: so well let us know if you come up with.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: Anything, I will, and you let us know as well
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: how it's all progressing. I think it's fantastic and I
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: think it'll be a wonderful thing for the whole community
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: to get behind. We love our sport in the Northern
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: Territory and I really think it's a great thing for
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: our juniors to have something to look forward to as well.
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: And something to aim for.
• 7:41
  Speaker 4: Thank you very much, Katie.
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: Thank you