Canberra's Indigenous cricketers have urged Cricket ACT to increase investment in First Nations programs in a bid to establish an ACT Indigenous side.
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The National Indigenous Championships commenced in Alice Springs on Thursday, with the country's top Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island cricketers converging on the region for the event.
The ACT, however, is not at the competition, with a number of players representing other states and territories in previous years.
Ginninderra's Ethan Fitzpatrick is the only male Canberra cricketer competing at the current edition and is playing for NSW.
Fitzpatrick is a proud Ngunnawal man who has had strong ties to his Indigenous heritage from a young age. He has played at the National Indigenous Championships on multiple occasions and captained the Sydney Thunder at the 2021 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Twenty20 Cup.
While he acknowledges the challenges in establishing an ACT Indigenous team, Fitzpatrick said it would be an honour to represent the region at a future competition.
"It would be a great opportunity to have a group of Indigenous players go up to the tournament," Fitzpatrick said. "It would be great for those of us in Canberra to experience what it's like, hearing stories from elders and learning about other cultures.
"It's a special event. It's not only a gathering of Indigenous people from around Australia playing a sport we all love, but it's a culturally significant gathering of players from around Australia to share stories and cultures."
![Ginninderra's Ethan Fitzpatrick is currently playing for NSW at the National Indigenous Cricket Championships. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong Ginninderra's Ethan Fitzpatrick is currently playing for NSW at the National Indigenous Cricket Championships. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/GzY3iczng7SLWqVgHSV78t/d87db190-adbf-4fdf-ac75-8b11a4edbaf8.jpg/r0_277_4293_2691_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Cricket ACT officials cite the region's small playing base as the primary reason for the absence of an ACT Indigenous team.
The organisation is working to grow First Nations participation rates and launched their first Reconciliation Action Plan in December.
While it's a vital step, some Indigenous cricketers have criticised Cricket ACT for a lack of investment in First Nations programs.
In a statement, a spokesman said the organisation is working towards creating greater opportunities for Indigenous players.
"Cricket ACT is committed to do all we can to learn, create awareness, promote and embed First Nations culture in all we do within our cricket community in and around the ACT," the spokesman said.
"We are proud to join the Reconciliation Action Plan program and set out our path to advocate for and deliver better outcomes for First Nations peoples and communities within our broad and diverse cricket community. We now have our Aboriginal Advisory Council in place, and it remains a firm ambition of our organisation to field teams in the National Indigenous Cricket Championships in the future."
Cricket ACT Round 20
Tuggeranong 197 v ANU 4-96; Weston Creek Molonglo 387 v Western District; Ginninderra 5d-329 v Eastlake 1-10.