AFL dream comes alive

AS debuts go, yesterday’s AFL women’s game at North Hobart Oval was about as good as they come.

AFLW chief executive Nicole Livingstone, left, Tasmanian Minister for Sport and Recreation, Jacqui Petrusma, and AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan holding the AFLW premiership cup at the match between North Melbourne and Carlton at North Hobart Oval yesterday. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

AS debuts go, yesterday’s AFL women’s game at North Hobart Oval was about as good as they come. The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos turned it on for the crowd, coming home victorious 7.10 (52) over Carlton’s 2.4 (16). It was a great showcase for the game and a great showcase for the state.

For all concerned, this was a great day out. There were queues at the gate ahead of the match. The official count was 4896 fans. North Hobart Oval showed what a superb venue it is for the match. We have a club that is committed to the state. The atmosphere was great, the weather was sensational and the team was resplendent running on in their Tassie kit.

This state’s quest for its own team has been a long one. For a time yesterday, it was a wonderful milestone for Tasmanian fans to see a team bearing the name Tasmania romping home to victory at our spiritual home of football.

Reaction to the success of AFLW has been a bit of a surprise in some quarters. It should not be.

Women’s sport has for too long languished by comparison to men’s sport, notably when it comes to TV coverage and prize money.

As these historical anomalies have been slowly addressed, women’s sport has had a chance to shine. The AFLW has been an exemplar of this phenomenon. Crowd numbers have been strong. Fans have been vocal in demonstrating their passion for the code. AFLW has shown it has a bright future as a fixture on the Australian sporting calendar.

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The continuing success is not just being driven by fans. The stars of the AFLW are clearly also strong role models for women’s participation in sport. It was revealed yesterday that participation levels in women’s football are up by 45 per cent in this state in one year. Chalk up another win, another good news story.

Yesterday’s game clearly impressed AFL chief Gillon McLachlan. “I think this is one of the most beautiful ovals I’ve ever been to,” he said afterwards.

“This is a spectacular oval, it is a great place to go and watch football and I’m just thrilled we’ve got our first AFLW game down here in Tasmania and it is a good day. This is a special place.”

There still beats within the heart of every Tasmanian AFL fan, the dream that one day we will have our own team — preferably our own men’s and women’s team proudly wearing our state’s colours.

It is a dream that has long been backed by just about everyone who understands the role this state has held as a hotbed of passion for the code and as a breeding ground for so much talent over such a long period of time.

It’s a dream that the AFL still doesn’t yet quite share. “My mind has always wandered there … it is just working through all the challenges,” Mr McLachlan said yesterday.

The dream will never die until it is fulfilled. But for a bit over an hour yesterday, those legions of Tassie dreamers had a chance to feel like we had taken a few confident steps towards making it reality.