“Following the huge success of the match earlier this year between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning we were hopeful that the conduct of matches would continue. However whilst negotiations between the Thunderbirds management and NT Major Events has been underway for a few months unfortunately the NT Government have been unable to source funding support this time around”, Harkness said.
A crowd of just under 1,800 attended the fixture at the newly built CDU Stadium on the Queen’s Birthday Weekend in June 2019 and netball officials were confident of a full house in 2020 with the avoidance of a long weekend.
A disappointed Harkness continued, “The Stadium was built to host major events like this and the support for content to do so isn’t there for next year.”
“The other disappointing aspect is whilst there are other major sporting events scheduled for Darwin in 2020 they are all male sporting teams. It’s disappointing that a match from the world’s premier domestic netball competition, and the sport that is the country’s leading female participation sport, couldn’t be accommodated.”
What has also perplexed some netball officials is the apparent, imminent announcement of a three (3) year funding assistance program through the Community Benefit Fund to attract a Men’s NBL basketball match to Darwin.
“It is great that the NT gets to host a range of quality sporting events however gender equity appears not to be a NT Government consideration,” Harkness quipped.
