Tasmanian franchise must be a priority for the A-League

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By Adrian Musolino, 11 Jan 2009 Adrian Musolino is a Roar Expert

Tagged:: Central Coast Mariners, FFA, football

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While the focus of the next round of A-League expansion is on the prospective second teams from Melbourne and Sydney, the FFA should instead turn its attention south to Tasmania, a state ignored by the majority of sporting codes and therefore a relatively unchallenged market for a franchise, let alone the league, to establish itself in.

Tasmania United FC is bidding for submission for the 2011-12 season and is facing tough opposition from not just the Melbourne and Sydney franchises but also Wollongong and Canberra.

But unlike the franchises in Melbourne and Sydney, which will only grow a supporter base by robbing fans from already established A-League teams, and Wollongong and Canberra who already host NRL teams in the rugby heartland, Tasmania is a relatively untouched sporting base.

A franchise in Tasmania has the potential to replicate the success of the Central Coast Mariners.

There are some noticeable comparisons between the two.

The population of the greater Hobart region is shaded by the whole of the Central Coast, but the Tasmanian franchise would attract fans from all over the state.

In fact the population of Hobart is larger than Townsville, home of the North Queensland Fury, by approximately 50,000. There is no excuse therefore that the state is too small for a franchise and therefore lacks the potential for a successful business operation.

With a base in Hobart, the only impediment for the franchise would be attracting fans to home matches from other centres such as Davenport, Launceston and Burnie given the distance between Tasmania’s most populous centres.

However, there is also the possibility, first raised when Tasmania was mentioned with regard to expansion, of splitting home games between Hobart and Launceston.

Just as the Central Coast has been ignored by other codes, so too has Tasmania.

The AFL has played hardball with Tasmania instead focusing its attentions on the Gold Coast and West Sydney. Despite significant interest in the state for Aussie rules, the locals only have Victorian clubs such as Hawthorn occasionally visiting.

With no AFL, NBL or NRL franchises and only the Tasmanian Tigers state cricket side, the Tasmanian A-League franchise would be relatively unchallenged for attention and sponsors in the state.

Like Central Coast, it would unite the whole region behind one team and the A-League would gain a massive heads up on the other codes.

The A-League would ride into town and give Tasmanian fans what they crave so desperately, a presence in a major national sporting league.

This would win over the hearts and minds of the next generation of Tasmanians, enticing them to play the round ball game over other sporting codes, a game that enables them to represent their state.

It could also lead to a better state league format from the current separated north and south leagues. A united state league would help the development of local talent with an obvious link to the A-League.

It would also give the A-League more of a national representation than both the AFL and NRL.

Central Coast has proven that a team deeply immersed in the local community, with little opposition from other codes, can build a solid supporter base, business model and infrastructure for future growth despite the smaller population base compared with other franchises.

This is what the A-League should be looking towards with expansion and Hobart and Tasmania fit the bill perfectly.

The second Melbourne and Sydney franchises may have some powerful backers, but the FFA would be wise to look to Tasmania instead.

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The Crowd Says (69) | Page 2 of Comments

Adrian Musolino said | January 11th 2009 @ 1:28pm | Report comment

As for the players, the population is relative to Central Coast and Townsville so there will be enough of a net to catch some quality players. The point is the franchise would win over a lot of young players and, because there is no significant opposition from other codes, football would have a leg up on future development in the state.

I still believe a second Victorian team is the best bet for the next expansion, but I have doubts about a second Sydney side given the struggles of Sydney FC.

What I’m saying is Tasmania is one of the best options for A-League expansion. Central Coast has proven how easier it is to establish an A-League franchise in a region without other code franchises.

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Kazama said | January 11th 2009 @ 1:55pm | Report comment

I doubt anyone (and especially not Les Murray) would have thought that a team from Gosford could financially outperform a team based in Sydney in a stable professional sports competition, yet that is the case in the A-League.

I don’t see why Tasmania, if well managed and supported by the fans, couldn’t be as successful. JFA-style long-term thinking here, KB is correct IMO: a Tasmanian team would be far more important for football than a second Melbourne or Sydney team.

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Forgetmenot said | January 11th 2009 @ 1:59pm | Report comment

Midfielder,

A relocated AFL team would not work in Tasmania. It needs an entirely new team to call their own.

Adrian,

They way you describe it, it sounds like the AFL and FFA are in very similar circumstances in regards to the expansion in Sydney. Both the Swans and Sydney FC are going poorly in regards to attendance and membership etc.

Also any sport that wants a team in Tassie has to address the competition between Launceston and Hobart. Tasmanians don’t like travelling much. People from Launceston hardly ever go to Hobart, why would they go for a sport that hardly any of them care about?
I have suggested that a Tassie AFL team would split games between Hobart and Launceston, with bigger games at Aurora. And then perhaps upgrading Bellrieve to 25000 would move the big games to Hobart.

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Kim Graham said | January 11th 2009 @ 2:20pm | Report comment

Adrian, While I generally agree with your article about the need to expand into Tasmania, I think that the expansion should really take place on Court 3. Without expansion of the A League into Court 3, the financial stability of the league could be jeopardized. Regards, Kim.

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james said | January 11th 2009 @ 2:41pm | Report comment

Adrian
to be fair the reason sydney is struggling for crowds is because they did not engage the community out west, add onto that the fact that SFS os a pain to get to from the west. A team in Parramatta could be very succesful if the comunity has been engaged.

I think Tassie would be a smart expansion after a 2nd sydney and melb team, them along with canberra (to avoid NSW being over represented) could really add some flavour. My mouth waters at the thought of playing in the heat of townsville one week then the much colder tempreatures of tassie the next

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James Ward said | January 11th 2009 @ 4:00pm | Report comment

Everyone talks about Sydney being such an important market but the fact is they don’t turn up in great numbers given the population of the city and that includes to Sydney FC games, the Swans, NRL matches etc.

They are spoilt for choice with so many Socceroos games, concerts, events etc so there is so much competition.

I know a team in West Sydney will have it’s on supporter base in Paramatta, Blacktown or wherever but the fact is it will still detract fans from Sydney FC.

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Michael C said | January 11th 2009 @ 4:20pm | Report comment

Players don’t come into it – -

just as that the AFL (should they choose to insert a team – {create, relocate, whatever}) have a centralised player pool via the draft – - such that only in the case of a start from scratch side might it be preferred to follow the GC17 option of establishing a focussed and ‘elite’ local junior squad as the most public up front incarnation of the club.

However, soccer – - – has a vastly greater ‘pool’ of players – - both ALL across Australia (but, mostly in NSW) and globally. The issue surely isn’t about provision of local talent……..otherwise……..there probably wouldn’t be a NZ side in the HAL!!!!

btw – - for anyone hoping to have a ‘unified’ state side for Tassie….best just wait and see if they can once again get a statewide footy league working harmoniously!!!!!! they’re trying….again…….wait and see.

Forgetmenot – -

the Swans attendance vs SFC can’t be compared. I’ve stated before, the Swans 2008 SCG crowd average was actually UP on the previous season. And, for 4 rather than the previous 7 years 3 H&A games at Homebush, the Swans had their 3rd best ever crowd average at that venue with 1 extra game……………………who on earth would suggest that was a bad attendance showing in a year where they only just scrapped into the finals and seem to lack any real impetus. Not a bad result at all.

Membership, sponsorship, tv ratings…………they’re other issues.

James Ward -

‘spoilt for choice’?? What? Socceroos games draw bigger crowds to the MCG, they have concerts in Melb too – - – even some white clad NYE ‘bash’ that drew 40K to Docklands!!! (apparently that might have gained some recognition outside of Melb to soccer folk – - more for the damage done to the surface). In Melb, we’re about to head into 2 weeks of 1 of 4 Tennis Grand Slam tournements……….as some put it, it’s like having an AFL GF every day for 2 weeks.
Look – - it just seems that you’re making excuses for Sydney re ‘spoilt for choice’…………..because……..in the main……..that argument would only hold if there was a few of those events that WERE actually well attended…………but, instead, it’s just average across the board.

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James Ward said | January 11th 2009 @ 4:39pm | Report comment

Melbourne is more of a sporting city based on attendance figures in all codes and therefore would be able to sustain a second A-League team better than Sydney

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Adrian Musolino said | January 11th 2009 @ 5:22pm | Report comment

Forgetmenot, I agree the distance between Hobart and the northern cities of the state is a concern. Dividing home games with Hobart staging the majority of fixtures and Launceston the rest could work.

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Westy said | January 11th 2009 @ 5:36pm | Report comment

The Sydney Swans will do just fine provided they play at SCG especially with the new Trumper stand. This is their primary territory. Sydney is all about events. For example there is only one city in Australia that has rising crowds for test match cricket and that is Sydney. The New Year test is an institution.
Sydney FC is a eastern suburbs franchise. . It is not and never will be a community based sydney team. I find the ignorance in some positions adopted here amazing. Sydney FC smacks of bling . It has Hakoah and Sydney City written all over it. I remember the days when Frank’s Sydney City played Parramatta Melita at granville to a packed house. Remember there were more people in aggregate attending NSL games in aggregate annually for matches in Sydney then Sydney FC gets through its gates. More fundamentally take out Sydney pay tv subscribers and my god football ‘s paytv figures take a battering. . It is the Greater Sydney area that provides a huge part of elite juniors.No team has the heartland of Australian football yet. There is still a powerful residual tendency in this market to bypass the Aleague both as spectators and to encourage its quality players to go overseas as young as possible.Most premier NSW state league clubs do so as amatter of course. Sydney FC has little nexus with this market. difficult as it is to understand this is football country with past loyalties not easily broken and an awareness of quality football.. They are much more used to community based clubs then Bling.
The AFL is the only code that matches its crowds with television dominance. Apart from its final series the NRL even in its ARL heyday was suburban in character averaging at best 20000 crowds packed into suburban grounds . Good atmosphere but that was it. Even the most biased observer however would not question rugby league is a potent competitor on the box. This is where Sydney counts. This is not some Sydney centric bias but millions of television sets mobile phones etc on in Sydney. I am not sure Tasmania has much nexus with this market whereas Woollongong does. Liverpool is the centre of Sydney ‘s football heartland . The sad thing was the failure of the Bulldogs and Liverpool Council to get the 35000 rectangular stadium built at Liverpool . The concept was sound just the people implementing it left much to be desired.

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