The bid to get a Tasmanian team into the AFL appears exhausted, despite an agreement to get top flight football played in Hobart for the first time.
North Melbourne this week signed a three-year deal to play two games a season at Bellerive Oval from 2012, in addition to the four games Hawthorn will play at Launceston’s Aurora Stadium.
In announcing the deal, AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said it could only help the Apple Isle to the promised land of having a team of its own.
“It doesn’t hurt it and it doesn’t mean it goes backwards. It can only be a positive step,” he said.
“I think the future is bright for AFL in Tasmania.”
They were soothing words, but the AFL has made it clear its priority is establishing itself in the untested markets of the Gold Coast and western Sydney through infant clubs the Suns and the Giants respectively.
The league’s administration all but ignored the island’s last serious bid for a team in late 2008, and since then the Tasmanian government has focused on attracting games of any kind to the state.
The tilt for a Tassie team has widespread sentimental support amongst the footballing public on the mainland, especially those who see the AFL as too concerned with making money.
But despite the oft-cited list of champions from the Apple Isle and its passion for the native football code, the story of Aussie Rules in Tasmania is one of bitter division and petty jealousy between the state’s north and south, which far outweigh the interstate rivalries of the mainland.
And unlike fellow Aussie Rules states South Australia and Western Australia, Tasmania lacks a strong statewide league.
The Tasmanian State League has seen several reincarnations over its 131-year history, but has been plagued by financial and administrative difficulties, and only found a competition structure to suit the state’s sparse population in 2009.
There are historical, political and economic reasons behind the north-south divide, but outsiders, including Demetriou, are baffled by the war of words which is often plays out in fiery editorial exchanges between the Launceston Examiner and the Hobart Mercury.
AFL Tasmania general manager Scott Wade says the rivalry has held the state back.
“In the halcyon days of Tasmanian footy back in the `60s and `70s, if Tasmania could’ve found a way to work together, rather than be so parochial and so divided, we’d already have a team of our own by now,” he tells AAP.
“I guess it’s a challenge for AFL Tasmania to unite the football community and then see if we can entice our politicians to think whole-of-state, rather than regionally.
“But that’s a pretty significant challenge in Tasmania.”
Wade says AFL Tasmania have all but given up on being allowed into the league in the short term.
“From our point of view it’s about whenever the AFL think it’s the right time for Tasmania to be seriously considered for a team, then we’ve just got to make sure we’re ready for that opportunity,” he says.
“AFL Tasmania’s focus is about working with the league to create more AFL content in the state and going from there.”
But Saul Eslake, the former chief economist of the ANZ and a key part of the 2008 bid, says the current administration doesn’t take Tasmania seriously.
“While Demetriou is there I don’t think anything meaningful will happen, it’ll be token gestures and crumbs from the table,” he says.
“His attitude was really encapsulated a couple of years ago when Hawthorn were playing the Western Bulldogs in Launceston and it turned out to be the match of the round.
“Demetriou said, `we won’t be making that mistake again’, because to schedule a game that people actually might be interested in was, in his words, a mistake.”
Eslake says, in own colourful way, the North Melbourne deal was another slap in the face for Tasmanian footy fans.
“The AFL never insulted the football loving people of Adelaide and Perth by sending them struggling Melbourne teams to play a couple of inconsequential games,” he says.
“It’s like throwing a hungry dog a few scraps from the table and hoping it will go away with its tail wagging.”
With the AFL not likely to increase the competition beyond 18 teams any time soon, it seems the best chance Tasmania has is the relocation of a struggling Melbourne team like the Kangaroos.
But Wade says AFL Tasmania isn’t counting on it.
“There’s no expectation from us that North Melbourne will relocate to Tasmania,” he says.
“We believe North Melbourne is the best chance for Tassie in the long, long term, but we’re not even considering that yet.”
Besides, says Eslake, Tasmanians would rather follow their own team.
“I’ve been an Essendon supporter since 1968 and I would sign up to a Tassie team the day that they are announced,” he says.
“I wouldn’t regard North Melbourne, at least initially, as a real Tasmanian team.”
Eslake says the argument that Tasmania would lack corporate support is a fallacy.
“We proved that argument that the league made was bollocks,” he says.
“First of all, the stadium deal that a Tasmanian club would have at Aurora Stadium would be about the fourth best in the league.
“The second thing is we had sponsors. Mars said they would be our major sponsor, and the Tasmanian government would only need to pay $1 million less than they’re contributing to the Hawthorn deal.
“People say, `where are the major corporations in Tasmania?,’ but look at Collingwood, whose major sponsor Emirates is based in Dubai.”
There’s no doubting his passion, and if the Tasmanian AFL team is ever to get off the ground, it needs more voices in the wilderness like Eslake’s.
It also needs the AFL to listen.
But most of all, Tasmania needs to get over its toxic and small-minded regional division.
John inYanchep
Guest
Great comments and really enjoyed reading your post but remember that the leagues in WA and SA aren't true state leagues as such and only center around the major city (with a very large population compared to that of Tasmania), especially here in Perth where the WAFL stretches as far north as Joondalup and south to Mandurah. The other major population centers such as Bunbury, Geraldton and the other major population centers have their own strong local leagues. I believe that the people of Tasmania are more likely to see a team relocate to Darwin and maybe even New Zealand before they get a look in for AFL membership especially whilst Mr Demitriou is in charge!!
The Word
Guest
Pfft, American idea.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
"West Coast, where do we even begin with them?" Please do begin, as I don't recall them doing anything wrong. Their flag was 100% legitimate.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
so was Sammy Newman and Prince Charles...and?
The Mad Arab
Guest
Andrew Bolt was an old Geelong Grammarian.
Ben Carter
Roar Guru
Hi all - had a rethink this week about both the promotion/relegation idea (probably unworkable due to such a huge mix of state/country tier footy leagues in Australia) and the whole Tassie team thing. Interesting that Mick Malthouse was quoted a week ago as suggesting that a promotion/relegation system with two divisions of nine might work and encourage teams to work hard. Equally, a fortnight ago Andrew Demetriou said he remained open to a Tassie team being a possible 19th side if that option ever arises. Anyway, how about avoiding the English FA model BUT keepng the likes of Tassie fans interested? Why not divisions? Yes, I know it's rather American, but it would allow for additional clubs to be included and finally bring the AFL its true national footprint that it'd like to have. So...based purely on geography - a map of Australia, drawing an east-west divide, including within Melbourne, you'd have a way in for Tassie and the NT and still retain some decent Melbourne games AND keep things split evenly among the clubs outside Victoria. You'd have 10 teams per division, so 18 weeks of footy - everyone plays everyone once OR plays within their own division TWICE. Then a top eight (quarter-final style bracket for the top four clubs in each division), semis, final. Easy. And for anyone keen to cry foul/sacrilege - it's just an IDEA, peoples. WEST DIVISION West Coast Fremantle Port Power Adelaide Geelong Western Bulldogs North Melbourne Essendon Melbourne Darwin EAST DIVISION Hawthorn St Kilda Richmond Collingwood Carlton Sydney Gold Coast Brisbane West Sydney Hobart
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Fitzroy's games were H&A games, 1991 and 1992 I think. Hobart does not have twice the population of Geelong. The two are roughly similar in population terms. Geelong also has a lot of its supporter base living in Melbourne (as a Tasmanian side would have), incumbency, and Geelong has strong corporate links through the old boys network of Geelong Grammar.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Titus - I was taking about the AFL running a national competition...that's the point I was making..... from 2012 the AFL has weekly games in the 5 mainland State capital cities (if you count GC as part of Brisbane)....no other code has anywhere near this level of coverage...does Assoc Football have a competition with weekly games in Melbourne/Sydney let alone Perth, Brisbane or Adel??.... the AFL is way out in front of the other codes in terms of running a national competition - actually running one rather than talking about running one......the AFL will bring weekly games to all mainland capitals.... my point was that it could, in the long term, really cement its branding as the 'national' competition by adding teams in Tassie and in Canberra... the other codes don't have competitions with the same national reach and the AFL could really go further ahead on that measure... the AFL doesn't claim Tassie...it's the other way around...look if you know anything you'll know Tassie has produced many quality AFL players, and will continue to do so...your curious analogy to the NRL and PNG is way off...
Titus
Guest
How is Assoc. Football not a National code? In fact it is probably the only football code that is played everywhere in Australia. Assoc. Football is the most popular participation sport amongst juniors in Tasmania and 8 000 people attended a pre-season match between Melbourne and Adelaide at Aurora Stadium, so there is plenty of Football supporters in Tas. In fact a Tasmanian a-league bid is well established and well supported. What is it with this AFL demand for 100% support for their game, and interest in all other codes being unacceptable? The AFL's claim to ownership of Tasmania is a bit like Rugby League in PNG.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Tassie should get an AFL team...they should be next, whenever that is...part of the AFL's brand is that it is a national competition....unlike the other football codes, the AFL runs a national competition.... so having a Tassie team in the long term does fit in nicely with that branding as being a national competition.....include Tassie, and while they're at it the AFL should include Canberra....I say leave expansion for the next two broadcast deals but if/when they expand again throw the door open to Tasmania and to Canberra.... My guess is that the AFL is in no hurry to expand further given GC and GWS are still in early stages...there is just too many pots on the boil and too much risk to go another round of expansion.......and apart from the AFL's own preoccupations with the expansion teams, the short term prospects of an AFL team coming fromTasmania are not good because the Tasmanian public is just too devoted to Aussie Rules for its own good - the AFL knows it can expand to this market whenever it likes and that delays in doing so won't cost the it anything - the Tassie market isn't going anywhere and no other football code would attempt to set up there.... I don't think AFL's expansion to Tassie is off the table... not in the long term... I think the AFL will get there eventually but will take its time...
Titus
Guest
Well the people of Western Sydney didn't want the team either so you don't need to get hostile at them. Anyway, I think Tassie will get an a-league team before an AFL team, and from what I can tell, Football is very popular in Tassie also. Tasmania is also the state that held the first Assoc. Football match in Australia in 1879.
The word
Guest
Your mention of Geelong is flawed. Geelong region has around 220,000 odd folks and is within 1 hours drive, or railway line you have a 4 million people city. You have Ballarat to the north with another 80,000 people on top plus the entire western district who are generally Cats fans all the way to the border of SA. If anything, Ballarat deserves a team MORE than Tassie, a) because they have a large population catchment nearby b) they used to have a couple of teams in the VFA before the formation of the VFL and have had a large hand in creating Australian footy. As for Tassie, I really want to see a team down there. It sickens me these western Sydney knuckledraggers get a side before our Tassie mates. Maybe they should place a gambling tax on all these poker machines, lotteries etc.. to bankroll a Tassie team in the AFL. It is just greed that stops it from happening. It strikes me that the Tasmanian people are just too laid back and lazy to make it happen also. Take the Winnipeg Jets situation in Canada, those guys were lobbying for 20 years to get a team. People were still buying and wearing the old Jets uniforms until just the last few weeks they got their team back. That is what you need to do Tasmania. Pull your fingers out and DEMAND A TEAM!
The word
Guest
Never proven, and why don't we ever hear about Geelong's rorting in that era? Only because they did not win anything. Essendon were allowed to keep the 1993 but we all know that was dodgy. West Coast, where do we even begin with them?
The Cattery
Roar Guru
You have plenty of support Swampy amongst rank and file footy supporters.
Swampy
Guest
Sadly, I'm a Tasmanian who left for work reasons. I even returned, albeit briefly, only to leave again for the same reasons. I understand the economic rationale stated by many as to why Tassie shouldn't have it's own team but the argument is not as strong as it looks. The main thing that people do not get is the passion Tasmanians have for AFL. Despite lower incomes, lack of corporate head offices, north south divide etc. the people of Tasmania genuinely will support a local AFL team, with purchase of memberships, merchandise, match entry. It is not a Port Adelaide model. It is not a GC or GWS model. TV networks prefer broadcasting games with full stadiums and atmosphere so how will Tassie degrade that aspect? I'm a southerner but shock horror my favourite beer is Boags premium. Tassie's population, despite earlier assertions, has been increasing for almost 10 years now, after a long period of zero growth. There is also more people of Tasmanian heritage living outside of Tasmania than within it! Sort of like Ireland. Hobart has twice the population of Geelong but Geelong's existence in the AFL is never questioned, but lauded as a model of success for a small market. Hypocrisy of the greatest order. You could apply all the same arguments for not having a team in Tassie to not having a team in Geelong. I'm certainly not advocating Geelong shouldn't be in the AFL. Tassie shouldn't give up the battle for a team, the battle might be long but it will be rewarding. PS. Fitzroy never played for roster points in Hobart, only pre-season matches. No AFL has ever been played for roster points in Hobart. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
Absolutely, couldn't agree more! :D
amazonfan
Roar Guru
They are welcome to try. :P
ac
Guest
Maybe the NRL can start a team there?
woodsman
Guest
Yes, 1995 I believe.. ;p
woodsman
Guest
hear-hear