TheTerritory Labor Government is investing $2.9 million to light Marrara CricketGround #1 and Palmerston CDU Oval #2 which will create greater flexibility byenabling clubs to escape the heat of the day to train or play at night.
Sportis important to Territorians and investment in our sporting grounds andfacilities create jobs and allow the sporting codes to providemore opportunities for participants.
Installinglights at Marrara and Palmerston is part of the Territory Labor Governmentscontinued investment in oval lights across the NT which means moreTerritorians can play their chosen sport in the cooler evenings.
Thelighting upgrades at Palmerston CDU Oval #2 is a huge win for cricket andfooty, allowing year round evening use with local cricket played in the dry andNTFL in the wet season.
As stated by Minister for Tourism, Sport andCulture, Lauren Moss:
TheTerritory Labor Government is continuing to invest in infrastructure projectsin partnership with sporting organisations to improve amenities, supportcommunity sport and create jobs for locals.
Havingthe ability to train, watch and play games at night, away from the heat of theday is a huge win for cricket and footy loving Territorians.
Familiesnow want flexible fixtures to suit increasingly busy lifestyles, withtraditional Saturday and Sunday day matches not always convenient. Mid-week andweekend night fixtures will soon be possible, growing participation andencouraging more women, girls and juniors to stay active.
As stated by Tony Sievers, Assistant Ministerfor Sport:
TheNorthern Territory continues to produce top sportspeople across many differentsports, and we continue to invest in our sporting facilities to support the developmentof these future champions.
As stated by Northern Territory Cricket CEO JoelMorrison:
Theselighting projects are a significant development for cricket in the north and Ithank Minister Moss for her commitment to investing in the infrastructurerequired to support our local cricket community.
Thisalso follows the NT Governments recent investment in lights at Gardens Oval,meaning there are now cricket venues with sufficient lighting across Darwin,the northern suburbs and Palmerston for the very first time.
Thanks to the NT Government and Sport Australia, NTCricket can now provide flexible match fixturing for our local community, caterfor the growth our womens and junior playing numbers, and capitalise on theenormous opportunity to build Darwin into a winter playing and training hub forAustralian cricket.
Thisfunding is in addition to the $500,000 awarded by the Federal Government inDecember last year.
