Tasmania should look to the Bears for AFL inspiration

I agree Scott. The AFL bid modelled by Saul Eslake was viable. At the time (and I'm sure it would be the same if a similar proposition was delivered now) the finances stacked up and there was popular support from every corner of the AFL community except for A.Demetriou. There are several factors which I believe could lead to Tasmania having a successful AFL team; Membership. Tasmanians are very parochial. I am a die-hard Tigers supporter, and member, but if Tasmania had its own team I would also buy a membership for that team, whatever it was called and wherever it was based. I am sure that many people would do likewise. And, any child raised in Tasmania who chose to follow AFL would undoubtedly become supporters of their local AFL team. The number of children wearing Hawks gear in Launceston shows just how much being able to watch a team live influences decisions re: choosing a team to follow. Finance. The financial argument 'Tassie is too small and doesn't have businesses big enough to support an AFL team' which get trotted out with monotonous regularity, is preposterous. Port is sponsored by a French car company, Melbourne by a German car company, Collingwood by a middle-eastern airline, Carlton by a Korean car company and, ironically, by Mars: the company that intended sponsoring the Tasmanian team modelled by Eslake. The last time I checked, none of these companies were based in Adelaide or Melbourne. Any potential sponsor would be looking at the saturation national media exposure during the AFL season, not Tasmania's economy or population. In addition the cost of hosting matches at both York Park and Bellerive is a fraction of what it costs to host matches at the other AFL stadia so those ongoing costs would be significantly less than for other clubs. North/South divide. As has been proposed on some other sites, a Tasmanian team could be based in Hobart (I live in Launceston), play 5/6 home games in Launceston/Hobart and train occasionally in Launceston/Devonport/Burnie so northern supporters could be true participants of their club. Much as I would love a team to based in Launceston, a 5 minute walk from my house, we really need to get over the whole north/south thing. Stadia. Clearly, York Park (Aurora) is the best AFL ground in Tasmania: it's central to the city (a 5 minute walk from the centre of town) it has the best playing surface in the AFL, there is plenty of parking in the immediate vicinity, the new lights allow for night football. If the covered seating was increased only slightly the ground would be comparable to Geelong's home ground. Bellerive has quite a few issues and needs a lot of money invested to make it a truly AFL standard ground. Its primary problem is parking: it has none basically and getting to and from the ground in a car is a nightmare. An underground car-park would seem to me the obvious answer but I'm not an engineer so have no idea if that's even viable. Given the mountains of money the AFL s throwing at GWS (which I personally think will be a drain on AFL coffers for decades) surely an investment in Tasmania would be money better spent? Weather. There seems to be a perception that weather in Tasmania is appalling during the winter months. While it is true that Launceston and Hobart do get some very cold weather it also true that we receive far less rainfall than popular opinion would ascribe us. In have attended games at York Park in a t-shirt. Weather is not an issue. Lifestyle. Some pundits wonder if young men would want to re-locate to Tasmania. While Tassie doesn't have all the bells and whistles of larger mainland cities, we have a very high standard of life and offer other benefits such as our pristine environment and strong communities. People also need to realise that not every young man wants the 'rock'n'roll' lifestyle some footballers pursue. In fact, being removed from the intense spotlight of cities like Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth would actually be a benefit to an AFL club. History and doing the 'right thing'. Tasmania has a long and proud Australian Rules Football history. We love our footy. 'Up There Cazaly' is a song written about a Tasmanian footballer, the AFL Hall of Fame is littered with Tasmanian greats of the game: Darrell Baldock, Royce Hart, Ian Stewart, Peter Hudson just to name a few and we provide current AFL players at a ratio far above our population relative to the rest of Australia. We have the passion, the history, the facilities and would have the finances if the AFL (A.Demetriou chiefly) would do the 'right thing' and make Tasmania he next expansion team for the AFL so it can truly be the Australian Football League and not the Mainland Football League. That's it. I hope my comments make some Tassie AFL deniers pause for a moment to revisit their thinking. cheers, Joe Crawford FYI: I live in Launceston and I'm a member of the Richmond Football Club.

So are you saying that Launceston people wouldn't support the team if it had its base in Hobart? If that is the case, then they are their own worse enemy. If they want a team bad enough, they would be able to get over that small fact.

Comparing GWS to Tasmania's case is just a smoke screen. Having a good presence in Sydney is a firm strategic move. On the basis of history, passion & comparisons to the many ex VFL teams who were given a free ride to the AFL, Tasmania should have its own team. Having a proper team from Tasmania would broaden the view of the AFL being a true national competition.

Agree, climate challenged is a bit of a ruse, it's a winter sport, and doesn't stop locals going to current AFL games. Local economy largely irrelevant, see Geelong, a successful boutique club with a smaller population base. Tasmanian government previously committed $15m to redevelop Bellerive for Roos games and has had an agreement with Hawks to pay them $3.4m per year. There is no doubt that funding would be forthcoming for a home grown team. Membership numbers would be very strong as most Tasmanians AFL supporters were surveyed (Gemba) at the time of the Tassie bid, would buy a membership regardless of whether they were current AFL members or supporters, or whether they lived in Tasmania. There is a widespread Tasmanian loyalty factor from native Tasmanians. As for the financials, Gemba contributed reports on revenue, membership and expenditures to the bid submission to underpin the modelling performed by Eslake. But note, a bid cannot produce financials on an entity that does not exist, that is why a model is forecasted. Given the $85 million the AFL is spending on GWS by 2016, what will that number be by the time the 20 year wait and see project expires, it's a long bow to draw and say a Tasmanian would be a financial burden on the competition. Not to mention the money the AFL is spending on establishing the NEAFL, the project to create a viable second tier competition where GWS and the Swans could play their reserves teams (Swans prev played in Canberra league), because the standard of competition and professionalism in the existing local SFL was so poor.

I bet he was executing all the major skills (kicking/marking/handballing) competently well before age 9. Not the whole story, sure, but not insignificant either.

I'd dispute the 'climate challenged' bit, at least. Hobart gets more hours of sunshine than Melbourne, and less rainy days during the footy season. And what major club sponsor has anything to do with where either of them are located?

Demetrious answers to a Commission West Sydneys growth and socio economic data dwarf Tasmanias and in 5 years time if its still struggling you can fire potshots. RL participation rates are falling so AFL has a real opportunity to add to its national identity for national advertisers...

CK, Agree with you about the Saints and 99 GF against Storm (an earlier post) - every 50-50 decision in second half went to the Storm. The big H was refereeing - enough said. Tasmania has a small economy, stable population, climate challenged and location of base issues. Needs significant Govt help which can always end up being withdrawn at any time. Canberra cant support one either...Saul eslake models it (he is an economist not a financial nuimbers man) and doesnt live on the Apple Isle which gives you a clue...Needs a signifaicant benefactor and they seem they want to spend their money in areas where NRL is allegedly struggling..

The RL had 2 failed attempts at RL teams on the Coast (3 if you count the current lot saved by an unknown benefactor - is this the only club in the world where no-one knows who the owner is??). The GC is/was the fastest growing spot in Oz and a source of a lot of great athletes and will be OK as a tourist sporting holiday mecca...

I don't really buy the 'only move to un-tapped markets' school of thinking. I highly doubt anyone is sitting at A-League HQ saying 'Western Sydney was a mistake, let's move them to Darwin, it's an un-tapped market'. Or for that matter, I'm fairly sure Ross Oakley / Wayne Jackson aren't regretting bringing Freo into the AFL.

The AFL Tasmania bid of 3 to 4 years ago was a financially viable proposition, modelled by Saul Eslake (economist) and with Mars as a major sponsor. Renault sponsors Port, and you can't tell me that's on the back if car sales in Adelaide! The AFL operates in the national market, Tasmania will gain plenty of sponsorship due to its boutique image. For the sake of the AFL Identity, it needs teams from Tasmania and the Northern Territory, rather than dilute it through a strategy based on greenfield sites. I don't necessarily believe the Gold Goast will fail, just that it shouldn't have been granted the 17th AFL license. On the other hand, the AFL had no idea what they are dealing with in Western Sydney. It would have been targeting the Canberra region. but again it shouldn't have been granted the 18th license. The AFL couldn't even get access to sporting fields in Blacktown because their participation rates do not stack up against soccer and league.

Tasmania in the AFL and Central Coast Bears in the NRL unfortunately will not be happening. Both organisations know that their money comes from TV advertising dollars and these are small markets that already watch those sports, therefore putting a team there is not a priority. The AFL is already playing 6 games a year in Tasmania and are happy with the arrangement that Hawthorn and North Melb have put in place (particularly as it adds to those clubs bottom lines). The NRL have far too many teams in NSW to be considered a national sports comp which is why they won't be going to the Central Coast anytime soon. The AFL will be currently looking at the following options when expansion is again on the cards - Perth 3, North Queensland (Cairns/Townsville) and way further down the track NZ. The NRL will be looking at the following options when expansion is next on the cards - Perth, Brisbane 2, Central Queensland (Rockhampton).

Duffer, Nick Riewoldt learned to play footy in Queensland (having been born in Hobart). If you are suggesting that his skills were developed prior to the age of 9 in Hobart then you are kidding yourself. He was schooled on the Gold Coast and drafted from the Southport Sharks, so yes he is a Gold Coast product.

Viva La North, I am currently living on the Gold Coast and from the times that I have been to Suns games the majority of the crowd are wearing Suns merchandise. There is a reasonably strong following for AFL on the GC, although obviously RL is the biggest code in Queensland. As the Suns continue to develop and begin to win more games during the season their crowds will increase. Luckily people with your small minded look perspective are not in charge of the AFL, on your logic the Swans would have had no future either in the mid 90's based on the crowds they were getting, however as we have seen they turned around their fortunes and are now well respected in the Sydney sporting landscape. PS - Amazing that anytime crowds in NSW and QLD for AFL are discussed the argument is always that is just expats who want to watch the footy where they are currently living. However, RL plays one game a year in each of Perth and Adelaide and a trial in Hobart and then its the locals who are mad NRL fans?? Give me a break! There are more multi-code followers in AUS then ever before and this will continue to increase as more and more children being born today will grow up with it being completely normal to have their city represented by AFL, NRL, Super Rugby and the A-League. One code warriors will become fewer and fewer in the next few decades. Long live variety!

It makes sense because Brisbane is the second biggest Rugby League market, it has high demand for TV content, an outstanding stadium and a large population. Brisbane is a no brainer - and if done right, it doesn't split the Broncos fan base, it taps into the non-Broncos fans. Most of the current bids from Brisbane are old established Queensland Cup clubs. They will be an antithis to the News Ltd owned Broncos, who damaged the pre existing Quesensland clubs. Asside from that, there are many, many fans of other NRL clubs in Brisbane - St George, Parramatta, Souths, North Qld.... they would now get more oportunities to see their club live in Brisbane. Sadly, a second Brisbane team is something that should have happened 15 years ago, but was killed off by News Limited to protect their monopoly with the Broncos. The other consideration is market penetration nationally - Perth offers a 2 hour delay on AEST, allowing late live matches. It is the 4th biggest city, and has an established State Rugby League body, and plenty of NSW/Qld/South African expats to tap into. The Bears option is inferior from the NRL's "gamewide" perspective. Only going to happen if Cronulla fold.

One of the reasons why Tassie wasn't considered for one of the two recent licenses, a reason that couldn't be disputed, was that the AFL (read Demetriou) were following an expansion plan. That is, expand into new untapped markets. Tassie have and will always be AFL followers, already have reasonable crowds to Hawks/Roos games (excellent if compared to GWS), so why spend the tens of millions of dollars now being spent in Western Sydney. I don't know where the AFL got their research from that backed up this strategy, sometimes I think they write their own. Demetriou gives Western Sydney 20 years to work, now that's accountability!! In that time we would have a long established and proven Tassie side in the AFL comp. Logic goes out the window when trying to understand the AFL, basically because it's run like a dictatorship by one man. I think the biggest blight on the AFL is its governance structure, once we fix that, we have more informed decisions being made about the future of our game.

If you do that, the team has to train somewhere. Ta-da, you dont have a Tasmanian team, you have a Hobart team or a Launceston team. You know, like happened with the Tasmanian side that went into the VFL, which was the old VFA. For me, with that said, the crowds have been good enough at York Park that you could just bite the bullet and make it a Launceston side ... but the AFL is better off giving Hawthorn and Norf a home away from home than having a full-time Tasmanian side.

As a former Tassie Devils VFL supporter, I know that the AFL run football down here.They started the team & then they destroyed it. Its pointless telling Tasmania to do anything. You are telling the AFL. Local footy people have NO say in anything to do with football. We were told that Devils did look at having a team in the SANFL but the AFL said NO. What we need is some politicians with 'stones' to end this cash grab by Hawthorn & North Melbourne. Kick them out. Let them struggle on in Melbourne. They can stay their & rot for all I care. If we get a team some time, then good. If not, then stuff the AFL.

Great article. I am new to the AFL in terms of watching and I do admit to being a Kiwi in Melbourne so I don't undestand the background and history of the Melbourne Demons but it does seem there is HUGE problem at the club and would simply re locating them work. I am a member of the Central Coast Bears and they are ready but the thing is they have been for so long. The league administration has been ignoring them for so long and even went as far as inserting the TItan's at their expense and shifting the bar as their were no other viable options other than the Bears but still we wait. It seems there s a desire for Tasmania to have their own team but there is too much vested interest from mainland teams who may lose the revenue. In both Cases the Sports need to make decisions for the good of the game rather than the good of individual clubs.

"Gold Coast products playing in AFL (think Riewoldt)" More than a little irony there, since Riewoldt is Tasmanian born and bred, and spent his formative years (to age 9) there!