Duffy calls for Otago Volts name change
“I think we all know the reason why the Southern Volts is the right move. I guess no Southland kid grows up wanting to play for Otago, do they?"
Jacob Duffy has ramped up his push for a name change at the Otago Volts hoping it will be sorted before his playing days are over.
A recent piece in The Southland Tribune, about the prospect of renaming the Otago Volts the Southern Volts, has sparked some discussion.
Although the call for change has received a more high-profile backer with Duffy - the Volts’ all-time leading wicket-taker across all formats - saying he is actively pushing for the change within Otago Cricket Association circles.
Duffy is a born-and-bred Southlander who emerged as a teenage star when he made his Volts debut in 2012, while still attending Southland Boys’ High School.
Speaking on The Roar Podcast this week the Black Cap confirmed he is uncomfortable with the Otago name for a team which also represents Southland.
“I think we all know the reason why the Southern Volts is the right move. I guess no Southland kid grows up wanting to play for Otago, do they?
“And then obviously there's that level of blue and gold [in the uniform], and there's the level of support you get down home [in Southland].
“You've got to grit your teeth and support a blue and gold team, I guess. And it's just what you strive for as a Southland kid, to grow up playing for your Southern region.
“The Southland aspect of Otago quite often gets forgotten.”
Duffy revealed on The Roar Podcast the extent he has gone to get across his belief that the name change should happen.
“I've been in the talks for a few years now, but I've started to push a little bit harder lately.
“I've started to think about what I could leave behind and I’ve been talking to a few people.
“I've talked to the CEO, I've talked to the high-performance manager, I've talked to pretty much every board member about it and just sort of getting everyone's opinion. The key stakeholders around the region,” Duffy said.
“No one can come up with a good argument against it. I guess the Highlanders went through something similar not too long ago.
“They went from the Otago Highlanders to just the Highlanders, for the same reasons. So, I think we've got every right to take a stand on it and push for it.
“And like I say, I want it to be changed by the time I'm done and it's something I can leave behind as a bit of a legacy.”
So, what’s the reaction been to Duffy’s conversations at Otago Cricket HQ in Dunedin?
“There's not many people super against it, to be fair. You get the old hard Dunedinite that might be.
“But to be honest, most people view it as a very reasonable sort of approach.”
Duffy agreed that a way to acknowledge the history of the first-class four-day Plunket Shield team might be for it to remain as the Otago cricket team in the future.
The T20 Super Smash and one-day Ford Trophy teams could be the Southern Volts.
Although Duffy wants the discussion to extend further than just the Volts and Sparks. He is pushing for the Otago Under-17 and Under-19 teams, which play at national tournaments, to play under the Southern banner in future.
Ironically another high-profile supporter of the Southern change emerged last Saturday at a presentation for Duffy before his 100th T20 for the Volts.
Jeff Wilson - a fellow Southlander - was enlisted to speak before the game where he was full of praise of what Duffy has achieved over 13 years.
“This is very special, particular from a Southlander to another Southlander, because realistically it is the Southern Districts, we know we are the Southern Districts. We fought hard for that even when I was playing,” Wilson said speaking to Duffy and the team.
“In this country you can succeed from anywhere, it’s all about getting an opportunity, and you’ve taken yours, so well done.”
Like Duffy, Wilson made his “Otago” debut as a teenager in 1991, soon after he finished at Cargill High School.
We all know Otago Cricket would really deep down like to call the teams 'Dunedin Volts/Sparks' - that's certainly the way they view the world. So a change like this will be hard but forcing it to happen would be good for Southland *and* for the remaining parts of Otago