Possible Otago Volts name change reaches board level
“It will be interesting to see what people think. So, there are a lot of things to consider and I think it’s an important discussion to have."
The prospect of a possible change of name at the Otago Cricket Association to better reflect the wider region will now be raised at board level on Wednesday.
OCA chairman Russell Mawhinney has confirmed to the Otago Daily Times that the issue is on the agenda and will be discussed at its next board meeting.
“It will be interesting to see what people think. So, there are a lot of things to consider and I think it’s an important discussion to have.
“But let’s not get carried away,” Mawhinney said.
There have been calls from different parties for Otago to be renamed Southern Districts, and its premier teams to be rebranded the Southern Volts and Southern Sparks - or something similar.
Black Cap and the Volts’ all-time leading wicket-taker Jacob Duffy has provided some high-profile weight behind the name-change campaign.
Duffy - a born and bred Southlander - told The Roar Podcast recently that he would like to see the name change happen before his playing days are done.
“The Southland aspect of Otago quite often gets forgotten,” Duffy said.
Mawhinney confirmed to the ODT that Duffy had raised the matter with him.
“Good on him for raising it and I certainly respect his viewpoint,” Mawhinney said.
“There is more to it than just changing the name, though. There will need to be a lot of consultation with stakeholders throughout the whole region.
"[OCA chief executive] Mike Coggan has already pointed out the potential cost implications of rebranding if we were to make a change.”
It has been suggested a rebrand would cost the Otago Cricket Association $200,000 at a time when it was forecasting a $100,000 deficit.
He added the OCA would need input from its major stakeholder, New Zealand Cricket, on the matter.
Other OCA board members include Nathan McCullum, Nathan Pitcher, Mike Sandle, Brendan Murray, Stuart Heal, Matt Harvie, Gemma Shead, Liane Topham-Kindley, and Nicki Paterson.
Mawhinney suggested it might be time for Dunedin to return to playing Hawke Cup cricket which would ensure it “would genuinely be southern districts”.
He used Northern Districts as an example where its main centre Hamilton gets to play at the Hawke Cup district level, despite having a larger population base than Dunedin.
Meanwhile, Volts spinner Ben Lockrose has told The Roar Podcast he too is supportive of the talk of renaming the Otago Volts the Southern Volts to incorporate the wider area - including Southland - that makes up the Otago Cricket Association.
“I'm definitely an advocate for it. I'm from Southland, it's a part of the district. It'd be great,” Lockrose said.
The Volts will play at Queens Park in Invercargill on Sunday when it hosts Northern Districts in a Ford Trophy one-day fixture.
The first ball is scheduled for 10.30am and it is free entry for those wanting to attend.