Imparja Cup, National Indigenous Cricket Championships to return to Red Centre

Callan Morse Published October 31, 2023 at 4.35pm (AWST)

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Traeger Park will host some of the nation's best Indigenous cricketers in February with the return of the Imparja Cup and National Indigenous Cricket Championships. (Image: Darrian Traynor - CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Australia's largest annual gathering of Indigenous cricketers will remain in the Red Centre in 2024, with confirmation the National Indigenous Cricket Championships and Imparja Cup will continue to be held in Mparntwe (Alice Springs).

The 31st Imparja Cup is scheduled to take place from February 18-21 followed by the seventh National Indigenous Cricket Championships (NICC), which will be held from February 22-27.

Since the establishment of the NICC in 2016, the Imparja Cup and NICC have both been held on Arrernte Land at venues in and around Alice Springs, with hundreds of talented Indigenous cricketers, coaches and match officials from different mobs around the country coming together in the heart of Central Australia to celebrate cricket, culture and country.

NT Cricket's Head of Cricket, Darren Treumer, said the Northern Territory community is looking forward to welcoming everyone to the spiritual home of indigenous cricket.

"The Imparja Cup is a significant part of cricket in the Territory and we look forward to celebrating that rich history with a new wave of talented indigenous cricketers from around the country," Mr Treumer said.

Beginning as an annual cricket match between Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, the Imparja Cup was established by custodians, Shane Franey and Ross Williams in 1993.

Gradually growing to a national competition, the competition now offers Indigenous cricketers the opportunity to participate in Major Centres, Men's Community, and Women's Community divisions.

Alice Springs Mayor, Matt Patterson said it's always an exciting time of year when the Imparja Cup comes to Alice Springs.

"The Imparja Cup has such a rich history in our town as one of the preeminent Indigenous sporting events in Australia," Mr Patterson said.

"Alice Springs Town Council is proud to be a partner again in 2024 and I can't wait to see players and spectators alike flock to our facilities to take in the action."

Cricket NT has also confirmed the reintroduction of the Imparja Cup schools division, with the organisation hosting an 'Imparja Schools Cup Day' with local Primary Schools, aimed at inspiring a new younger generation of indigenous kids to fall in love with the game.

Following the Imparja Cup, the NICC, Cricket Australia's annual Indigenous state and territory national championships will continue to offer a pathway for talented and aspiring Indigenous cricketers nationwide to showcase their potential.

The weeklong T20 tournament will provide an opportunity for some of county's best Indigenous male and female to participate in the same tournament that contributed to the future success of domestic and international Indigenous cricketers including Ash Gardner, Dan Christian, Hannah Darlington and D'Arcy Short.

Squads will include players who are participating in Cricket Australia's inaugural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander training camp, which is being held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground this week.

2024 Imparja Cup registration is free and open to new and past teams from the Northern Territory and around Australia, with teams wishing to play in the Cup asked to complete the online form on the NT Cricket website.