We’re launching our National Volunteer Week celebrations here in the Territory with the fantastic news that our very own John Tate, of Nightcliff Cricket Club, has been recognised nationally by Cricket Australia as one of their 28 award winners for this year’s National Community Cricket Awards.
Honoured as ‘Highly Commended’ (runner up) in the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ category, John is only the second person from the Northern Territory to be recognised by Cricket Australia since the Awards launched eight years ago, following Marcus Rosas recognition as the winner of ‘Community Match Official’ back in 2021.
Cricket Australia’s National Community Cricket Awards look to recognise outstanding contributions and initiatives across all areas of community cricket, and John Tate is certainly a worthy recipient; one of those unique individuals that we are so lucky to have in our sport.
"It's been pretty humbling" said Tate when he learned of his acknowledgement on the National stage.
"I enjoy volunteering and all that it brings, and there are many people who do what I do around cricket in Darwin. My father had a saying that there should always be something in your life where you're giving something and not expecting anything in return, so I've tried to make sure that at all times in my life there was something that my father would be proud of".
For the past 25 years he has dedicated his time to Nightcliff Cricket Club in Darwin; first as an opening batsman, then as a coach, followed by numerous committee roles (including Secretary, Treasurer and President), taking responsibility for the facilities and equipment, liaising with local council on behalf of both Nightcliff Cricket and AFL Clubs and for the past ten years he has been the club’s Curator as well.
And yet, despite the incredible contribution he has made to Nightcliff CC over the decades, it would be wrong to simply pigeon-hole him as a great club man. His work extends beyond Nightcliff Cricket Club; he also works on behalf of the NTCMOA (Northern Territory Cricket Match Officials Association) developing umpires across the NT, not to mention his contribution to the local community by leading a massive volunteer-driven development at Nightcliff CC called the ‘Sixth Wicket Project’ that created a blueprint for all other community multi-sport clubs in the Territory.
Years of planning and work with the local council finally saw the plans approved, and with $15,000 of ACIF funding – matched by $15,000 of funding raised by John and the club – May 2023 saw the introduction of a brand new sixth wicket, built from scratch by John and his team of volunteers at Nightcliff Oval. An incredible feat, over the space of 18 days that saw John co-ordinate a whole club effort, incorporating 300 volunteer hours by a team of 26 volunteers who worked literally around the clock; there were volunteers out checking the wicket in the middle of the night to make sure conditions were just right.
The benefits of the ‘Sixth Wicket Project’ for Nightcliff CC are obvious; not only does it provide players more centre wicket training, but it also allows the club additional play time, ensuring women, juniors and vets are able to play at the ground under lights. However, the value of this project reaches far beyond the club; thanks to John, we now have a blueprint for cricket clubs who utilise a multi-sport facility here in the Territory to regenerate a wicket, from scratch, without impacting the play of other sports when the ground is in use all year round.
This is just one string to John’s bow though. A very strong advocate for ensuring women are involved with every facet of cricket, John was pivotal in establishing a women’s team at Nightcliff CC back in 2021. In 2022, he coached Darwin’s ‘Desert Rose Cup’ team; an intrastate competition where Darwin’s best female players play a three-match series against Alice Springs’ best XI, and last year, John ran a ‘women only’ umpiring course; recruiting 16 new female umpires to officiate across the Darwin & Districts competitions.
Considering when John first took on his role with the NTCMOA (Northern Territory Cricket Match Officials Association) ten years ago, there were only three senior umpires regularly officiating across Darwin, to run a ‘women only’ course last year and introduce an additional 16 umpires into Darwin’s competition structure shows just how impactful John’s determination has been on the game up here in the Top End.
He’s not finished there though. Every February, John travels down to Alice Springs to officiate at the Imparja Cup, Australia’s largest Indigenous Cricket festival, and this year he also volunteered to run an upskilling session during the Imparja Cup for the Alice Springs regional umpires as well.
John’s impact on the game of cricket here in the Northern Territory ripples far beyond his incredible service to Nightcliff Cricket Club. He showcases the massive impact that you can have on this game when you stay involved long after retiring from playing. He is an incredible servant to the game of cricket and is a worthy recipient of this national honour by Cricket Australia, congratulations Tatey!