'I wouldn't expand to Canberra': Big Bash turf war looms over ACT bid

Cricket ACT officials are continuing to build a case for Big Bash inclusion, working with Cricket Australia to finally get a seat at the table after years of being left on the outside.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr revealed last year he had raised the prospect of a Canberra Big Bash team with Cricket Australia, and Cricket ACT chairman Greg Boorer is helping drive the push for a new team.

But NSW and Victoria have voiced their reluctance to back Canberra expansion because of what they say will be a drain on player resources.

The Sydney Thunder have played games in Canberra since 2017, but the franchise's lucrative deal with the ACT government has expired. It's unclear if it will be extended into next year.

Cricket bosses in NSW and Victoria are concerned about the impact on player availability and depth if another team is added, particularly in Canberra given ACT players are fed into the system.

But that overlooks the fact Canberra has already supplied plenty of Big Bash and cricket talent over the years, including Test star Nathan Lyon who had to move to Adelaide because his pathway in Canberra stopped at the second XI level.

Blake MacDonald and Matthew Gilkes are already part of the NSW system, Alex Ross plays for the Thunder, Tom Rogers plays for the Melbourne Renegades, Henry Hunt is at South Australia and Jason Behrendorff is at the Perth Scorchers.

Still, Cricket NSW boss Lee Germon warned against any expansion, in particular to Canberra.

"We've been pretty strong on our position which is that we've only just changed the structure of the Big Bash and reduced it from 14 down to 10 matches. We've had a good first season under the new structure and now is the time to really consolidate and build and optimise that," Germon told The Daily Telegraph.

"My own view is, I wouldn't expand into Canberra as a market anyway. Primarily because I think if you were going to expand, any expansion needs to add value from a commercial proposition and from a playing pool proposition."

Victorian cricket boss Nick Cummins added:

"I think it's appropriate to talk about expansion now because it's a five-year project ... but I'd say any expansion needs to consider three criteria," Cummins said.

"No.1 does it increase the total player base? No.2 does it take BBL to markets not already serviced by BBL? No.3 does it grow cricket's revenue?

"And I don't mean a reliance on government money, which is taxpayer money. We need to have a mature discussion about it rather than getting caught up in sentimentality."

Cricket ACT hasn't been shy in spruiking its Big Bash and wider cricket ambitions.

Barr has lodged an content expression of interest to lure more international fixtures to Manuka Oval in the coming years, while Cricket ACT is targeting a Sheffield Shield opportunity and the Big Bash.

Cricket Australia would also likely seek to have upgrades at Manuka Oval as a requirement of Canberra's entry to the Big Bash.

Barr has flagged the need to upgrade facilities and hopes to secure federal government funding to assist with improvements, while Cricket ACT made a submission to a federal inquiry last year to highlight the need to renovate the eastern side of the field.

"As part of our desire to work with the Commonwealth through the National Capital Investment Framework, there'd be two projects in the stadium space," Barr said last year.

"[That would mirror] what happened in Tasmania where the Commonwealth invested both in the Hobart new facility and in improving the Launceston one.

"We would be asking for a co-investment in the new rectangular stadium and a co-investment in partnership with the territory government at Manuka Oval. Underpinning that is having a Big Bash team, so that's our number-one priority with Cricket ACT."

But the Canberra officials have been wary of the politics of sport, and sparking angst with NSW and Victoria in particular.

Cricket ACT is not considered a full member of the Cricket Australia family. But the Cricket Australia board met in Canberra for the first time in history in December - during the Prime Minister's XI fixture - with Barr and federal Senator David Pocock attending.

Cricket ACT says adding a Canberra team will generate more revenue.

"Current Australian cricket funding allocations [appear] to follow historical and legacy patterns, rather than having a strong alignment with the current trends in community participation and growth of the game," they said in a response to a federal government inquiry.

"This has resulted in unsustainable funding allocation that impacts delivery expectations and neglect areas of high growth potential in the game.

"Additionally, the revenue generation possibilities that the states enjoy are not currently available in the ACT which has a significant impact on our ability to help realise Cricket Australia's strategic vision for the game. Corporate funding is also not being realised at present, primarily due to the fact that the ACT does not field an elite men's team and/or W/BBL teams."

As reported in June 2023, federal politicians have considered the extraordinary step of intervening in the makeup of Cricket Australia to facilitate change to the organisation's governance structure.