In July the Melbourne Cricket Club was thrilled to finally visit Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa) to meet the local community and see the grassed Santa Teresa Oval in action one year after it was officially launched.
Since 2019 the MCC Foundation has partnered with the Melbourne Football Club (MFC) and the Atyenhenge Atherre Aboriginal Corporation (AAAC) on the project to grass the oval in the remote indigenous community located 80km south-east of Alice Springs.After a number of trips planned in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the visit marked the first time both the MCC and MFC had seen the ‘MCG of the Desert’.
In a fitting showcase of the oval and the impact it has made on the town, the local Ltyentyies football team played a friendly match on the turf, while a number of community businesses promoted their wares with a special market set up around the ground.
MCC Vice President and Chair of the MCC Foundation Sally Macindoe remarked that it was hard to believe the Club was finally able to visit the completed oval.
“It’s actually an incredibly powerful and emotional feeling to finally be here. To be able to touch and see the oval and meet the people that we have heard so much about,” she said.
Speaking ahead of the game, Ms Macindoe thanked the community for their warm welcome and for their patience throughout the re-grassing project.
‘We are thrilled to finally be here and to see the Oval not only looking beautifully green but more importantly being used and enjoyed by the Ltyentye Apurte community,’ she said.
“When the Melbourne Football Club approached us to support the grassing project back in 2019, they told us this was a passionate footballing community. So I know it was a tough ask having to keep off the oval throughout the construction and grassing process, but I hope you agree it has been worth the wait!”
Beyond the financial contribution to make the re-grassing of the Santa Teresa Oval possible, the MCC Foundation has also donated league-sized goal posts and goal post pads, as well as one of the MCG’s grass mowers to assist with ongoing maintenance.
The Foundation is committed to supporting the ongoing viability of the oval, with MCC Executive Manager of Turf Michael Salvatore visiting Santa Teresa in 2019 to assist the early planning phase of the project.
More recently the Club welcomed two of the AAAC team members who manage the day-to-day maintenance of the oval to the MCG, where they were able to to work with the MCC arenas team and further develop their skills.
The previous red-dirt oval not only made it difficult to offer programs like AFL Auskick, athletics or even PE for the local school students, but also posed a health risk due to the volume of dust it generated.
In addition to visiting the oval, a small number of MCC and MFC staff were privileged to be invited onto country to spend an evening connecting with some of the Traditional Owners from the area. After hearing the stories and experiences of the Traditional Owners and sharing a meal cooked on the campfire, the attendees were left with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the local Arrernte culture.