The road leading to the Tasmania JackJumpers’ and Jewels’ Kingston training base has been renamed Defend the Island Way, after the rallying cry coach Scott Roth coined when he joined the club.
The new street sign was unveiled on Tuesday by Roth, Sport Minister Nick Duigan and new Kingborough mayor Jo Westwood.
The street, formerly Twin Ovals Road, leads to the state’s basketball teams’ high-performance training centre.
Kingborough Council endorsed the name in August for the section of road connecting Kingston View Drive and the roundabout at Lightwood Crescent, before submitting it to Place Names Tasmania for approval.
The club said the change was another step in the council’s vision to create a Sydney Olympic Park-style sporting precinct.
Roth, who created the phrase in 2020, said ‘Defend the Island’ was all about being proudly Tasmanian.
“It started as a battle cry idea that I was throwing around with my fellow coaches and it’s gained a life of its own from there,” he said.
“Now it’s more than basketball – you hear it in schools, youth clubs, politics, business, every sport and the community as a whole.”
Roth said the phrase grew out of his coaching philosophy.
“I’m a defensive coach and that’s really where it started from – defend, defend and what would it be,” he said.
“Then ‘Defend the Island’ came out and it was just one of those light bulb moments for me.”
Roth said he raised the idea of renaming the street before heading back to the US last year.
He credited Danielle McKay, who looks after the club’s brand, communications and corporate affairs, with seeing it through.
Roth and said he learned it had been approved a few days ago, when she texted him.
Duigan said the JackJumpers had repeatedly and proudly defended the island since the club’s launch.
“This is the perfect way to acknowledge the club’s commitment to our way of life and the passion we share for this special place we call home,” he said.
Westwood, who was recently sworn in as mayor, said the phrase had become much more than a slogan.
“It is a catch cry that has become uniquely Tasmanian and helped build an incredible sense of pride around Tasmanian sport,” Westwood said.
“The Kingborough sports precinct is evolving into a major sporting hub, bringing community and elite sport together and creating new opportunities for athletes, clubs and the wider community.”
The council is also consulting other local sporting organisations on possible names for the four ovals planned for the precinct.
Those proposed names will be considered at future council meetings.
