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Speaker 1: In some really great news overnight. We've learned that it's

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Speaker 1: been described as a slam dunk for local sport. The

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Speaker 1: territory has been successful and it's been to enter Australia's

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Speaker 1: well semi professional competition, the NBL one. Now joining me

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Speaker 1: in the studio to tell us a little bit more

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Speaker 1: about the situation.

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Speaker 2: It is John Mitchell, who's the.

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Speaker 1: CEO of basketball here in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you.

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Speaker 3: John, Good morning Katie. How excited we are this morning, I.

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Speaker 1: Reckon it's fantastic news. Now to those out there listening

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Speaker 1: who maybe don't know exactly what the NBL one is,

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Speaker 1: what is it exactly?

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Speaker 3: Well, it's just one level below the NBL, so the

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Speaker 3: best basketball in the country one level below that. But

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Speaker 3: it's taken off, really taken off right around the country

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Speaker 3: in the last couple of years, and we're very very

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Speaker 3: proud to be now playing in a national competition and

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Speaker 3: a sport that all states and territories are now involved in.

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Speaker 3: I don't think too many other sports in the country

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Speaker 3: that truly have that national effect. So we're very very excited.

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Speaker 3: And of course we've been working on this for some time.

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Speaker 3: We've partnered with Darwen Basketball Association. Kerrie Savage, the EEO

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Speaker 3: of Darwen Basketball Association, has done a mountain of work.

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Speaker 3: People are working behind the scenes in getting this to

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Speaker 3: this point. But of course there is so much more

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Speaker 3: to do as of today.

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Speaker 1: And so it's in the men's and women's leagues as well,

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Speaker 1: isn't it. So there's the same pathways no matter what gender.

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Speaker 3: Oh absolutely, and we'll be looking for men's and women's coaches,

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Speaker 3: We'll be recruiting and looking at local players. As of today,

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Speaker 3: we're obviously looking probably at even a couple of imports,

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Speaker 3: possibly even from America and other countries to really make

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Speaker 3: our team very very compared if and you know, the

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Speaker 3: effect that it will have on our juniors coming through

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Speaker 3: will be just enormous. I mean, the aspirational effect will

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Speaker 3: be fantastic. And of course we've got these kids playing

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Speaker 3: all around the country now and we want them in

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Speaker 3: Darwen playing for a Darwin team so they can actually

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Speaker 3: live and enjoy the territory.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I was going to ask that we do have

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Speaker 1: quite a few great Northern Territory basketballers who are playing

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Speaker 1: all around the country at this point in time.

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Speaker 2: Are you going to bring them back.

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Speaker 4: What are you going to do well?

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Speaker 3: We will have a list of about fifteen in each

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Speaker 3: of the teams, which obviously will give an opportunity. I mean,

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Speaker 3: it would be fantastic if we were able to get

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Speaker 3: Abby Cabillo back. She's playing in Canberra at the moment.

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Speaker 3: She's a sensational player playing in the WNBL. We would

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Speaker 3: love her to come back and play with us. Of course,

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Speaker 3: you know she was part of the World Cup some

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Speaker 3: years ago, so she would be tremendous for us. And

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Speaker 3: there are players, as I mentioned, young players that are

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Speaker 3: looking to extend their career in basketball. But we'll be

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Speaker 3: able to provide that opportunity right here in Darwin and John.

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Speaker 1: Is there a bit of a budget because I know,

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Speaker 1: when it comes to putting together a sporting team, you know,

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Speaker 1: you do need to make sure that there's some money

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Speaker 1: in the bank.

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Speaker 2: Are the players going to be paid?

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Speaker 3: The players will be paid and the coaches will be paid.

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Speaker 3: We have put a budget together and presently obviously seeking

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Speaker 3: out further corporate partners. Obviously, the Northern Territary Government has

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Speaker 3: been very very supportive and we thank them very much.

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Speaker 4: We've been working with them.

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Speaker 3: But yes, that'll be a job, very very quick job

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Speaker 3: for the people involved carry and myself will be involved

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Speaker 3: in recruiting coaches and there will be some announcements being

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Speaker 3: made either later this week or early next week on

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Speaker 3: the men's and women's coach.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, good stuff, because I was thinking April twenty two

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Speaker 1: is when this for our teams, doesn't it.

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Speaker 3: That's right, April twenty two. We will probably go with

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Speaker 3: a couple of preseason games. We'll hopefully get all of

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Speaker 3: the players together just after Christmas, and obviously they'll be

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Speaker 3: located in Darwin and there will be lots and lots

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Speaker 3: of work for them to do in the development space.

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Speaker 3: We expect those players to work in schools and go

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Speaker 3: out to communities, et cetera, developing basketball as well, so

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Speaker 3: they'll have plenty to do in their off time.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, how important is it do you think to have

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Speaker 1: a team in both the men's and women's comp here

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Speaker 1: and really be able, you know, to show those juniors

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Speaker 1: that play basketball that there is that pathway staying here

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Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, it's vital, we believe, and that's a big part

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Speaker 3: of why we've developed this team going forward. And as

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Speaker 3: I say, the aspirational effects will be enormous. You know,

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Speaker 3: we've got kids coming through, you know, even five six

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Speaker 3: seven year oldys and girls coming through now, and they

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Speaker 3: can see a pathway above league, which is pretty good locally,

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Speaker 3: but then that elite team going from there, So the

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Speaker 3: pathway is vital going forward.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and.

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Speaker 1: I mean some listening will be thinking gee, up until April,

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Speaker 1: it's not a huge amount of time to get your

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Speaker 1: playing roster sordered and to get your coaches sordered, new

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Speaker 1: volunteers and everybody involved.

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Speaker 3: Thank you very much, Katie for reminding me. We have

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Speaker 3: got a seven person working group established, and as you know,

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Speaker 3: the basketball community has a wealth of fantastic volunteers like

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Speaker 3: most sport, but we've got some great volunteers, and obviously

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Speaker 3: there will be opportunities for officials to be involved here

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Speaker 3: as well, so we're developing officials along the way as well.

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Speaker 2: Katie John, what are the teams going to be called?

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Speaker 3: A very good question, and we've been working on our

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Speaker 3: marketing strategy and our branding, but perhaps Katie, your listeners

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Speaker 3: could we actually haven't come up with a We've got

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Speaker 3: three or four that we're thinking about, but we would

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Speaker 3: be more than happy for your listeners to provide perhaps

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Speaker 3: a couple of suggestions for us.

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Speaker 1: Well, we'll put it out there zero four double nine

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Speaker 1: to seven double one.

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Speaker 2: Three six zero text us through.

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Speaker 1: If you've got an idea on what on what the

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Speaker 1: names of these teams could be. I'm assuming you need

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Speaker 1: a men's team name and a women's team.

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Speaker 4: Or would it be both the same?

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Speaker 3: Yeah?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, we go with both the same Aerican.

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Speaker 2: But do you want it to have a territory flat?

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Speaker 4: I think absolutely absolutely.

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Speaker 2: You've already been taken.

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Speaker 1: A lot of them have been taken, like the Cyclones

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Speaker 1: And yes, it's the Taipe hands is all that?

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Speaker 4: That's right. I'll tell you we did a whiteboard exercise.

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Speaker 3: We came up with eighty names just a couple of

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Speaker 3: weeks ago, and we got rid of about seventy eight

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Speaker 3: of those. Very difficult, because you're right, we'd really like

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Speaker 3: to come up with something original. But it's got to

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Speaker 3: be marketing. It's going to be actually easy to barrack for.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's got to sound a bit tough, doesn't it.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Yeah, you don't want it to be you don't

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Speaker 1: want it to be you know, yeah, anything too soft

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Speaker 1: the Redcliffe Dolphins. I'm sure they're still going to be

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Speaker 1: pretty tough in the rugby league, but Dolphins doesn't really

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Speaker 1: give you that that tough feeling doesn't.

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Speaker 3: But we'll get there, we'll and you know, we'll probably

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Speaker 3: have to do it in the next month or so,

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Speaker 3: so well let us know if you come up with.

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Speaker 1: Anything, I will, and you let us know as well

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Speaker 1: how it's all progressing. I think it's fantastic and I

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Speaker 1: think it'll be a wonderful thing for the whole community

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Speaker 1: to get behind. We love our sport in the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory and I really think it's a great thing for

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Speaker 1: our juniors to have something to look forward to as well.

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Speaker 2: And something to aim for.

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Speaker 4: Thank you very much, Katie.

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Speaker 2: Thank you