A former teammate of disgraced former Australian cricketer Michael Slater has weighed in on a looming vote to rename the oval at Bolton Park bearing his name.
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Wagga councillors will consider a report recommending the Michael Slater Oval be changed due to his past criminal conviction on domestic violence matters when they meet on Monday night.
Mr Slater played junior cricket for the Wagga RSL and also Lake Albert before going on to represent NSW and Australia in the sport.
In 2014, the ground was renamed Michael Slater Oval as a tribute to his successful cricketing career.
In 2022, Mr Slater was convicted for multiple domestic violence offences, and he is currently facing further charges in Queensland.
A rogue paint job erased his name from the oval's signage earlier this month.
A former teammate of Mr Slater's who lives in Wagga declined to be named, but told The Daily Advertiser he can "understand" the council's reasons for wanting to change the oval's name.
The man would not say whether or not he agreed with the idea, but he said it was "not a good look" for the council to have the oval named after Mr Slater in the circumstances.
"I understand where the council is coming from," he said.
Wagga councillor Georgie Davies plans to vote in favour of a name change.
"... [He's] actually been convicted for various domestic violence charges," Cr Davies said.
She said there is a lot of media attention on domestic violence and community expectations are that the oval be renamed.
"Everywhere you look and hear stories about domestic violence, and I think we would not be on the same page or wavelength as the community if we just let an oval [remain] named after someone who has committed domestic violence offences," Cr Davies said.
"It's not a good look."
A council report prepared by general manager Peter Thompson noted that a parks naming policy adopted last November gave councillors the right to rename any open space area at their own discretion.
Mr Thompson said the council had received feedback from the community arguing that the oval be renamed because Mr Slater had been convicted over domestic violence offences and people felt his name "should not be recognised in association with a public sporting facility".
If councillors back the recommendation, they must follow due process however, and call on the public and stakeholders to suggest possible alternative names for the location.
Once these have been received, a council workshop will discuss these ideas, before a final report is presented to the council recommending the adoption of a new name.
Mr Thompson said the council is not proposing to take action against Mr Slater's status on the Sporting Hall of Fame at the Museum of the Riverina.
"The induction into the Hall of Fame is considered a separate matter which is purely based on a person's sporting career and accolades" he wrote in the report.
Cr Davies agreed and noted his "remarkable" cricketing career.
She said it was "fair enough" that the memory of his achievements in the game are not touched, but stressed a community facility cannot be named after someone convicted of DV offences.
"It just sends the wrong message," she said.
Cr Davies said there were "so many great sporting people in the Riverina who don't have the tarnished record off the field" who could be considered when looking at new oval names.
She said it is also a great opportunity to consider not just men but also women who have achieved sporting greatness as candidates for a future name change.