There’s something rotten on the Apple Isle, namely the parlous situation of AFL football.
The state of the game in the traditional AFL heartland has been in steady decline for a number of a years, most evident in the fact that only one player – Fremantle’s Hugh Dixon – has been drafted from the state in the last two years.
However, the situation reached its most critical juncture on Tuesday when it was announced that the Burnie Dockers were withdrawing from the TSL – the Tasmanian State League competition – due to lack of numbers. Nearby Devonport also recently announced it was leaving the competition due to similar pressures.
Compounding this is the release of figures today which show that the AFL has increased its financial support for the struggling Gold Coast by $5.5 million to $25 million for the financial year. Of course, there isn’t a casual link between this and the state of Tassie football, but, indirectly, it speaks volumes.
For years, one of the AFL’s arguments against establishing a team in Tassie has been that the state is unable to financially support a team. There may be some truth to this argument, given the current state of Tasmania’s economy; but I’d pose the question of whether Gold Coast would be able to financially sustain a team if it was not supported by the AFL.
I’d wager that it could not. If the AFL was prepared to support a team in Tasmania to the same extent that it does the Gold Coast, then the financial issues become moot.
Fairfax journalist Michael Gleeson wrote a piece on this issue a few days ago, and raises the interesting and under-recognised point that the economic downturn in Tasmania has led to a large population decrease as people leave the state in search of job opportunities on the mainland.
By extension, this has left Tassie depleted in player numbers, which has in turn led to Burnie and Devonport folding, and the state unable to financially support its teams. The broader point that Gleeson makes, however, is that it will take time for the recent increase in the number of participants at grassroots level to filter through to the top echelons of the sport.
If afforded the time and financial support needed to grow, this argument makes a good case that football in Tasmania could be resurrected.
Financial assistance to football in Tasmania could also do wonders for its under 18 competition, providing solid development pathways for young players. With Burnie’s withdrawal from the competition, around 15 academy players have been left without a club.
The Tassie Mariners, the state’s under-18 team, competes only in the state competition, and is no longer part of the TAC Cup competition, which means that development pathways for aspiring AFL footballers are in short supply.
The main issue at play here is not one of finances, but of the AFL’s insatiable appetite for expansion. If the AFL wanted there to be a team in Tassie, it would have been done by now.
Instead, they are content to bail out Gold Coast, in a non-football market where it’s seeming unlikely that the game will become the dominant presence, at the expense of assisting one of the game’s football heartlands. The AFL’s public messaging on football in Tasmania has been conflicting – consider this from AFL CEO Gil McLachlan this week.
“We will continue to invest down there, we have a really clear plan for Tasmania. You can look at this through different lenses and that’s certainly how we see it.”
Reading that, I come away confused. The only ‘really clear plan’ I can see is to let Tasmanian football stagnate at the expense of other newer markets.
How does the AFL’s previous public statements that its preference is for a ‘two-team system’ in Tassie – like the current one with North Melbourne and Hawthorn sharing the rights to play games in the state each year – fit with Gil’s most recent comment?
Whatever the plan is, I’ve yet to see anything clear come to fruition. And the second part of that statement, about looking at this situation through ‘different lenses’ – how else can it be looked at? Is this a reference to the fact that the AFL clearly sees itself doing the right thing by football in Tassie, whereas there is public perception that whatever happens in Tassie is clearly motivated by business interests?
Personally, I’m yet to see a clear plan articulated for supporting and developing football in Tasmania, as whatever the AFL has in place currently seems not to be working. If nothing is done soon, we face the very real possibility that Tasmania will become merely a fading memory in the football landscape.
republican
Guest
......and the ACT part of NSW perhaps?
republican
Guest
.........rubbish. What choice do they really have? The AFL continue to patronise & shun loyal heartlands i.e. Tassie and the ACT and they have done so for decades. They then throw good $ after bad to prop up plastic entities, parachuting them into demographics i.e. GWS, Brisbane & Sydney, while holding the footy faithful of long suffering heartlands to ransom, with their double standard rhetoric that says we are unviable and as such will have to pay for the privilege to have any access to the game at this tier. So respective state governments have funded these deals, while the devoted footy faithful live in hope that AFL footy will continue to be played in both Canberra and Tassie Damned if we do, damned if we don't..........
republican
Guest
.....concur, while the nations capital continues to be expediently patronised despite its heritage and pedigree in the indigenous code.........
republican
Guest
No, its NOT 'AFL Footy' its Australian Rules Football at the very least. The AFL don't want Tassie to have a team in the big league and are quite resigned to see once loyal heartlands whither on the vine to expediently build their Tele empire of avarice in non footy demographics..........
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
The proposed stadium in Ipswich has nothing to do with the AFL or the Suns – it is for Rugby League (and possibly soccer and RU in the future). Additionally, the proposed Training Facility and Boutique Stadium in Springfield that PaulD mentions is a project that the Lions are working on with the Queensland Government and the AFL to house both the Men’s and Women’s Teams as well as provide a home ground for the Women’s Team. The Lions are the only Club in the AFL without an Elite Training Facility hence the desperation from Greg Swann to get this deal over the line. Again nothing to do with the Suns. Whether people realise or not – neither the AFL or the NRL will leave the Gold Coast as it stands today. They have both benefitted from QLD Government Funded Stadiums (the AFL at least tipped in for Metricon Stadium) and the Suns have additionally benefitted from a Government Funded Training Facility due to the Commonwealth Games. If Tasmania ever get a team it will be a stand-alone start-up or a relocated Victorian Club.
Chris
Guest
What income would the Brumbies & Raiders generate?
Party Pooper
Guest
Agreed. The neighbours brown poodle could have done that tv deal. If anything I reckon Gil screwed it up. There is now less AFL on tv than in the last 25 years. Where is Saturday arvo footy now? If we have to prop up Hawthorn, North Melbourne the Nsw and Qld outfits then maybe we should just move a Hawthorn or a North down to Tassie. Tassie does make a rod for its own back by propping up lame duck clubs. Let them go to the wall the. Grab their licenses Tasmania if you are smart.
Kris
Guest
When you grow off a low base it is very different to growing off a high one. Hobart is smaller than the city of Wyndham (Werribee). In the next 20 years Wyndham is forecast to grow by 234k. One municipality in Victoria will be adding the entire population of Hobart. In the next 20 years Victoria is forecast to add 2.54m people.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
Tasmania is hardly the Rome of the AFL. its more like the Emporer is fiddling while a small town in the south of italy is burning.
Johnny Dalmas
Guest
A rugby or a league team costs way, way less than an AFL team. The revenue target for a middle of the road AFL club is about $50 million. I doubt many league or rugby clubs would have such a revenue target.
Johnny Dalmas
Guest
A rugby or a league team costs way, way less than an AFL team. The revenue target for a middle of the road AFL club is about $50 million. I doubt many league or rugby clubs would have such a revenue target.
Kris
Guest
2005: Grant Birchall 2006: Jack Reiwoldt, Colin Garland 2007: Tom Bellchambers 2008: Mitch Robinson, Liam Jones 2009: Ryan Harwood 2010: Andrew Phillips, Jeremy Howe, Josh Green 2011: Aaron Hall, Tim Mohr (VFL), Jimmy Webster 2012: Jackson Thurlow, Jesse Lonergan 2013: Brady Grey, Ben Brown (VFL), Jake Kolodjashnij, Kade Kolodjashnij, Toby Nankervis, Mav Weller 2014: Lachie Weller (Qld) 2015: Hugh Greenwood (Cat B), Mac Willis, Mitch Hibberd, Keiran Lovell 2016: Robbie Fox (VFL) 2017: Hugh Dixon, Brodie Mihocek (VFL) Occasionally they have a good year, occasionally a bad. But 2 is near enough to par to not base the melt-down style reporting on.
Nick Symonds
Guest
If the stadium was already in place I wonder where the AFL would have put the second Queensland team if they had the choice. Gold Coast or Ipswich? With the Gold Coast's reputation I think they would of gone with Ipswich.
BigAl
Guest
johno said | February 9th 2018 @ 10:36am - Brent Croswell, John Bonney, Percy Jones ...
Paul D
Roar Guru
Oh, you're talking about the stadium at Springfield, my bad. I guess it is sort of Ipswich but I was thinking more in terms of the planned redevelopment of a stadium in and around Ipswich CBD On that though - the Suns would never get relocated to the Springfield facility. Would leave Metricon empty without a tenant (although it needs to work out how to host a BBL game next summer), and would also cannibalise the audience the Lions have worked at slowly building out there. I'm telling you now, ain't happening. They either leave Queensland altogether or stay put.
Nick Symonds
Guest
"Ipswich is a rugby league town through and through. Snowball’s chance that stadium is anything other than rectangular if it ever gets built." There's only a $30 million funding shortfall, if they relocate the Suns to Ipswich they could very well find the rest. http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/aflw/brisbane-lions-in-danger-of-losing-aflw-stars-after-failing-to-secure-funding-for-boutique-stadium/news-story/cb38d03f729409a19c9cc8f6e0755319 http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-11-22/woohoo-lions-one-step-closer-to-springfield
I ate pies
Guest
So they populace can sponge off the Victorian government instead of the Federal government? Tasmania's problem is that the greenies have killed all industry. They'd probably fit quite well into the socialist state of Victoria actually.
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
Football is going to pull the rug from under the AFL and put an A-League team there first. Tassie could become the biggest footballing state in coming years.
Cat
Roar Guru
Numbers will of course vary suburb by suburb
RandyM
Guest
Interesting... Inner Sydney around Paddington/Darlinghurst/Potts Point is far denser than anywhere in Adelaide. The Shire would have more density than anywhere in adelaide...