It was the connection of two remote towns in the Northern Territory, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek, whose shared passion for the game of cricket over 30 years was the beginning of what is now the largest festival of Indigenous Cricket in the Country, the Imparja Cup.
In 2024 over 180 Indigenous cricketers have taken to the field in Alice Springs to play with friends and family and enjoy playing the game they love in the true spirit of cricket.
This year has also seen the return of a Schools Division and continuation of the Imparja Cup Schools Gala Day, aimed at inspiring a new generation of Indigenous kids to love and play the game.
The Imparja Cup doesn’t only connect players from around the country, but also provides an opportunity for connection between sport, business, community associations and schools who all share a commitment to providing opportunities for Indigenous Australians in all aspects of life from sport and recreation to digital literacy and assisting with future employment streams.
DXC Technology, a leading Fortune 500 global technology services provider, have been a partner of Northern Territory Cricket and the Imparja Cup since 2019 and have committed to continuing their major partner rights for the next two years with the addition of becoming NT Cricket’s official Indigenous Engagement partner emphasising its long-term commitment to NT Cricket and the broader community.
"We would like to congratulate Northern Territory Cricket on the expansion of the Imparja Cup Competition. As the Premier Partner of Northern Territory Cricket, DXC are committed to fostering growth and inclusion in the Territory. The return of the schools division is a great addition to the Imparja Cup, providing a platform to encourage further Indigenous participation whilst helping to unite and inspire communities," said Steve Linsdsay, Regional Manager, Northern Territory, DXC Technology.
It is through the connection of DXC and NT Cricket that the Kalano Community Association, an Aboriginal organisation established over 40 years ago to meet the varying needs of the Aboriginal community in Katherine, and who enter a team into the Men’s Community Division of the Imparja Cup each year were the recipients of laptops thanks to DXC Technology’s Digital Futures Program.
Kalano will use the devices to assist in being able to deliver programs that address employment and economic activity, social, community and health-related programs along with Sport & Recreation studies for the population of Katherine.
DXC have also donated laptop devices to Yipirinya Primary School in Alice Springs making a positive difference by connecting students through technology, reducing barriers and providing them with a platform that contributes to their educational success.
These two laptop donations mark the third collaboration following two successful donations in 2023 in both Alice Springs and Darwin.
"Our relationship with Northern Territory Cricket as their Premier Partner, Imparja Cup Premier Partner and Indigenous Engagement partner is vital in bringing together cricket, community and technology. We're delighted to be able to collaborate again with Deadly Science, an Indigenous STEM organisation, to donate laptops to a Yipirinya Primary School and Kalano Community Association from DXC Technology's Digital Futures and First Nations Programs. These programs aim to increase digital inclusivity so that students and communities can develop innovation and skills to build better futures," said Stuart Meadley, Digital Futures Program Lead, DXC Technology.
“Our partnership with DXC is focused on supporting the development of Northern Territory players along their journey. DXC’s continued support of the Imparja Cup showcases their commitment to sport and the wonderful cricket community from a grassroots level. To be able to connect DXC with the Kalano Community Association is a wonderful extension of our partnership as it will enable the Kalano Community to access devices that will help further their self-determination,” said NT Cricket Chief Executive Officer, Gavin Dovey.
DXC’s laptop donations across Asia Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa, forms part of DXC Technology’s Digital Futures Program, and DXC’s First Nations Program which delivers on their commitment set out in DXC’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), enabling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to achieve self-determination and proportional representation across all areas of Australian society.
About DXC Technology
DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) helps global companies run their mission critical systems and operations while modernizing IT, optimizing data architectures, and ensuring security and scalability across public, private and hybrid clouds. The world’s largest companies and public sector organizations trust DXC to deploy services to drive new levels of performance, competitiveness, and customer experience across their IT estates. Learn more about how we deliver excellence for our customers and colleagues at DXC.com.