BBL WARNING

No guarantees for cash-strapped Tassie team

CRICKET Tasmania is preparing for the Big Bash League to expand to a full home-and-away season as early as next year, but says the state is no guarantee of automatic entry.

CT has announced a $768,000 deficit for the past financial year, mostly on the back of a $775,000 net depreciation on facilities.

It was seeking greater financial assistance from the State Government, comparing its annual grant of $560,000 of taxpayers’ funds with the millions distributed to fly-in, fly-out AFL clubs Hawthorn and North Melbourne, CT chief executive Nick Cummins said.

“Obviously I’m not party to the specific detail, but I would observe the funding we’ve got from the Government has been static for the past 15 years and we’ve gone from one men’s team to two men’s teams in the Tigers and the Hurricanes, and an entire women’s program,” Cummins said.

“I think we need to fall in line. It is not about cutting the funding to any other sport, but certainly the funding needs to be reflective of the level of exposure that we give to Tasmania and across the board in terms of participation as well.”

He said a full home-and-away BBL fixture would see Tasmania host seven games a season “as early as next year”, with CT to keep the majority in Hobart but expand more games in Launceston.

But Cummins stressed entry should not be assumed with other Australian cities, or even cities in New Zealand, Singapore or Hong Kong possibilities for expansion.

“The Hurricanes play a really big part in our financial health but we are not entitled to the Hobart Hurricanes, we are not entitled to a Big Bash team, we have to earn the right to keep our team, we have to earn the right to grow our game,” he said.

“With the Big Bash becoming more and more competitive and more and more cities across Australia and even across the world keen to get involved, we need to ensure we earn the right.

“We are not guaranteed to keep the Hurricanes in perpetuity, we need to make sure we are a healthy and thriving organisation.”

CT is also looking for Government funding to facilitate the rapid expansion in women’s cricket with only 13 per cent of Tasmanian grounds offering female change rooms and toilets, while grounds in the North and North-West are also in urgent need of upgrades.

“We’ve got girls and women playing cricket getting changed in the carpark, that’s a really obvious area where we can go,” he said.

CT’s financial return also included: A LOSS of up to $100,000 on the rainaffected shortened Test between Australia and South Africa. A DEFICIT of more than $150,000 due to a weaker AFL fixture in 2017. UNDISCLOSED payments for “transition costs” covering payouts to former coaches Dan Marsh, Damien Wright and other staff and the costs of the Mike Hussey report. THE Hurricanes had a record 3162 members last season and attracted 70,278 fans to home games, with a target of 90,000 for this season. RECORD participation of 43,000, an increase of 12.5 per cent, including 24 per cent growth in women’s cricket. INVESTING $2.8 million of discretionary spending into grassroots cricket.

A spokesman said the Government had been a strong supporter of Tasmanian cricket and looked forward to receiving a business case from CT.