Tasmania gets another chance to impress in the battle to secure an A-League team

With the A-League set to expand to 16 teams in the next few seasons, a Tasmanian team is among those in the running to become part of the national football competition

A team from Tasmania is in contention to be part of an expanded A-League by the start of the 2025-26 season.

The Australian Professional Leagues intend to expand the A-League to 16 clubs – four more than the current 12-team model – in the next three seasons.

The APL wants to add two teams for the 2024-25 season, and two more team for the 2025-26 campaign

Tasmania gets another chance to push its cause for an A-League team when Western United host Wellington Phoenix in Launceston on Friday night.

United, who joined the competition in 2019, has been a regular visitor to Tasmania in recent seasons as part of the club’s nomadic existence as the wait continues for its own stadium to be built in Wyndham in the outer south-western suburbs of Melbourne.

APL chief executive officer Danny Townsend was happy for United to continue to spread the A-League gospel in Tasmania, but that the competition’s long-term preference would be for United to play home games in its own stadium and for Tasmania to have its own A-League team.

Western United coach John Aloisi (left) and striker Noah Botic arrive in Launceston for Friday night’s clash against Wellington Phoenix.

“There is a big enough football community in Tasmania to support an A-League team,” Townsend said.

He said the success of NBL expansion club Tasmania Jackjumpers – albeit under a “very different operating model – was also a sign of the state’s desire to have teams in national sporting competitions.

Townsend said there had been discussions between the APL and the Tasmanian government, but not for several months.

He said the key to a successful bid would be sufficient financial backing and “appropriate” training and match venues.

Other cities and areas understood to also be in the running to join the A-League include Canberra, Wollongong, Auckland. North Queensland, the Gold Coast and Fremantle.

A second team from Brisbane is also being considered.

Should two of the expansion contenders be given the green light – by the APL and Football Australia – for the 2024-25 season, they will be given at least a year’s notice to prepare, meaning an announcement could be made within the next six months.

Meanwhile, United’s title defence is hanging by a thread ahead of Friday night’s battle at UTAS Stadium.

Only Melbourne Victory sit below United – who gave up a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Adelaide last Saturday – on the A-League ladder.

The sixth-placed Phoenix, coached by Ufuk Talay, have dropped to sixth on the table after back-to-back losses.

Talay said: “This season, I think every time the team has been expected to do well or win, especially against teams below us, we’ve struggled ... that’s something we definitely need to rectify.”

Originally published as Tasmania gets another chance to impress in the battle to secure an A-League team