Tasmania has had bids to join the A-League before and the last round of expansion had the Robert Stamoulis and Robert Belteky group.
They were still said to be interested late as last year, but out of the blue has emerged a competing bid from a new consortium of anonymous backers.
Stamoulis and Belteky are well heeled, so it makes you wonder, how big could the new consortium be?
The state government seem to have thrown their support behind the new group, with premier Peter Gutwein also making the point to the media that an A-League side “won’t be as expensive as an AFL team”.
Gutweinalso said that a rectangular stadium was a must, telling the media pack: “That is something we will definitely need and it’s part of our thinking.”
Football Tasmania president Bob Gordon stated in a radio interview with journalist Brent Costelloe that a stadium would cost around $110-140 million to build. In the same interview, Gordon also said that the premier’s attitude was informed by his new understanding and appreciation of the international reach of the sport and its appeal to migrants from all backgrounds.
Tasmanian Acting Minister for Sport and Recreation Sarah Courtney was also enthusiastic about the bid, citing figures from the federal government’s AusPlay Survey, which found that there were now 40,000 players in Tasmania – however, the survey doesn’t give a breakdown of casual players versus registered. In any case, this makes up 7.4 per cent of all Tasmanians.
Participation is even stronger at younger ages, with 30.8 per cent of kids in the 9-11 age group playing association football compared to just 11.1 per cent for Aussie rules. By comparison, figures for kids in the same age range in Victoria were 19.3 per cent for Aussie rules and just 11.8 per cent for association football.
On top of that, there are many players in Tasmania being turned away from clubs due to capacity constraints at the limited number of grounds.
These figures compare well to those of the player base of Canberra, which has 31,000 registered players and where 30.8 per cent of kids who play sport in the 9-11 range choose association football – the same proportion as in Tasmania.
In the 9-11 age bracket, Tasmania is equal first in Australia alongside Canberra in terms of popularity with kids. In New South Wales, the figure was 28.2 per cent and the other states were all well behind.
Figures for Aussie rules below the 9-11 age bracket weren’t given, so this was the bracket that I used for comparison to gauge popularity between the codes at youth level. It certainly seems consistent with what some have said about Aussie rules being in decline while support for the round-ball code in Tasmania is growing. I just didn’t realise by how much.
This might also explain in part why crowds at AFL matches in the state are down, if there are fewer kids nagging their parents to take them along.
If the trend continues and those kids stick with it, then Tasmania could become a regional heartland of the sport similar to Canberra, Newcastle or Wollongong. Its former status and reputation as a footballing backwater may be coming to an end.
When the Tasmanian bid was the first to be announced in the last round of the expansion process, the strength of the bid caught many by surprise. But to now have two bids interested in the state is stunning.
Either way, the latest bid bodes well when that kind of interest from investors in the A-League is still out there, especially in a post-COVID economy. The economic turbulence caused by the virus is still unfolding, but it’s good to know that there are still people who want to invest in the A-League.
As for the Tasmanian bid, it’s a different situation facing the decision makers of both codes, who will have to decide on whether or not to give Tasmania access to their respective leagues.
For the A-League it will be a matter of admitting a bid from what seems to be a future heartland of the sport with booming interest at youth level, equal first nationally with Canberra.
But for the AFL things have now changed. The Tasmanian AFL bid was once based on the state’s heritage and history, but now the people behind the bid are arguing that the AFL needs to give Tasmania a team to arrest the sport’s decline and to help it recover. That’s a different prospect in a state that was already seen as a poor location in terms of its economic value compared to the Gold Coast and Western Sydney, which have cost the AFL a great deal in subsidies.
It’s hard to tell if either code will actually expand into Tasmania, but with this new bid for an A-League side and the massive growth in the sport at youth level, not to mention the lower cost to government to support it, the A-League bid might in the better position.
But one thing is for certain: if the Western United versus Macarthur FC match in Launceston next month goes ahead as planned, there will be plenty of demands for Tasmania to have its own team.
A Person
Guest
With a Independent League where each club gets a say it is well and truly to late to kick out the Phoenix out not to mention that at least one NZ team must be in Australia's league as a contrition of Australia being able to move to and stay in AFC that being said with the FA having Veto Power and with the current people on it I see most expansion in general as unlikely as the FA will likely push and expansions bids it likes into it's 2nd division that's to its power of veto Long Story Short unless a clubs goes broke the A-League as it is now is likely to be the A-League for the foreseeable future Football fans are the most xenophobic sports fans in Australia it must be said
Mickno
Guest
Souds like you're shooting from the hip with no idea. The GC has a huge grassroots AFL backing, and the Suns are a well liked team in the city. None of the players get into trouble, and they had a good run last year - and look good for this season. Metricon stadium is also a great fan experience. Contrast that with what Clive Palmer did at GCU - where there was no grassroots support and a loudmouth lunatic calling the shots, it was hard for anyone to get behind the team. A legitimate grassroots club (that has an NPL team in junior divisions) would do much better. Soccer is huge on the Gold Coast, and people will go to games, it just needs to be done right.
Frankie
Guest
Time to expand your horizons, must be a hollow existence. Sport is awesome, you are missing out.
Micko
Roar Rookie
He shouldn't even use a potential AFL side as negotiation. The AFL have proved what they really think of Tassie over the course of these deals with games in Launceston & Hobart. Not once do they schedule Vic teams as opposition for either of these sides. The Tassie government would've loved that. The AFL insisted on only shoving in the non-Vic teams as the away team. So teams that already do the most travelling (like West Coast & Freo) were guaranteed to get the Tassie games when fixtured to play Hawthorn or NM "away". And the Tassies lost on big tourism bucks with the complete lack of Vic sides.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
If the Tassie Government withdraws the subsidy funding then the days of FIFO AFL are almost certainly over.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
The Tassie Premier is playing a dangerous game of Russian Roulette and I suspect that the AFL will let him pull the trigger so as to win his little game of brinkmanship!
Chuq
Roar Pro
Nothing that both contracts are up for renewal this year, and the Premier has put those discussions on hold until there is certainty from the AFL about a team... and he seems pretty happy to see the funds that went to propping up Vic AFL teams to go towards a Tas A-League team instead.
Micko
Roar Rookie
The problem is the AFL treated Tasmania shabbily, and never fixtured Victorian clubs as away sides in Tassie. No wonder the Tas Government told the AFL to shove it! :thumbup:
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
The Tassie government have always justified their AFL investment based on the number of tourists it pulls in, rightly or wrongly. And it probably is fair to say that most AFL games probably draw a couple of thousand Victorians. More if it's 2 Melbourne clubs playing. A similar investment in the A-League isn't going to have the same tourist impact. Only the Victory would be capable of getting more than a handful of visitors to come with them.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Good point. It's true that the 'Gong is probably more viable, not only is it bigger, but it's very close to the largest population centre in Australia. Geelong is around the same size as Hobart, has the advantage of being close to the second largest population centre in Australia, but even it represents a marginal proposition at best. Hobart? Yeh...nah. Lonnie? Absolutely zero chance.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
How would a new stadium cost $110m+? York Park's total spend would only just be that, a little more counting for inflation. To me the obvious place would be Glenorchy, the only area with plenty of parking available (in the showgrounds). It would also not be far from the DEC (Jackjumpers to be home). I do wonder how a state without a single functional hospital can spend such money on sports stadiums though. That is even if, and its a very big if, a side is viable. With the flops and problems of most regional teams, and complete lack of media revenue to be generated, I can't see the A-League putting a full time team in a 200k town any time soon (maybe Wollongong due its standing in the game; but not Hobart, Geelong, or revisiting Townsville).
Paul2
Guest
"If the Tasmanian government cancel funding to the AFL teams and shift that money to an A-League side, then go halves with the the new consortium on the stadium they could pay off their share in less than 10 years." It's pretty clear that Hawthorn and NM's days in Tasmania are numbered. That said, I doubt the State Govt is going to simply transfer that funding to a rectangular stadium. The main game is getting an AFL club based in Tasmania: it's a question of when (not if) this happens. The funding not given to Hawthorn and North Melbourne will be spent on an Aust Football/cricket configured stadium.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Yeh, I'm just pointing out no mates hypocrisy. The Phoenix don't appear to be getting a rectangle stadium anytime soon, but no mates doesn't point that out.
Nick Symonds
Guest
"They need a rectangle stadium that as we know cant be built unless privately funded as the TAS government has no money." - If the Tasmanian government cancel funding to the AFL teams and shift that money to an A-League side, then go halves with the the new consortium on the stadium they could pay off their share in less than 10 years. Furthermore, Tasmania's state debt is nowhere near as bad as others and their budget is set to be in surplus by 2023-24. Much of Tasmania's recovery debt is actually made up of schemes that had already been announced. By comparison, Queensland's state debt is set to hit $130 billion which works out to $26,000 per person.
Bludger
Guest
No Auckland and we should relocate Wellington to and Australian town. Tasmania makes a lot more sense to me. It is not Australian soccer's job to prop up the Kiwi game. It is ridiculous that we are not giving enough opportunities to Australian locations and players over New Zealanders. I have no problem with the odd international NZ rep plying their trade here but this Phoenix nonsense needs to end.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Gold Coast is a weird soulless place though. It's flooded with vics & kiwis apparently. The Suns survive because the AFL has deep pockets, and are heavily propping them up. I can't see a GC team being anymore successful than last time.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Wellington don't need a rectangle stadium apparently, so why does the Tassie side need one?
Micko
Roar Rookie
Not completely free as there's still contracts with 2 AFL clubs to play a handful of games down there.
NoMates
Guest
Sorry but a Tassie A League team would be the 1st club to fold within 12 months of existence. They need a rectangle stadium that as we know cant be built unless privately funded as the TAS government has no money. And all this new talk about it again yet here is no real proof they even have the funds to hold this bid up. As it stands Auckland then Canberra should be 1st and 2nd teams for the next AL license - at least they have stadiums and will get crowds.
Bludger
Guest
Tasmania is calling the AFL's bluff. First pulling the rug out from Hawthorn's and North's good little earner to this.