Top businessman Brett Godfrey says he can build a good case for a Tasmanian AFL team

UPDATED: The head of the board with the job of building a business case for a Tasmanian AFL team believes our footy stars could align within four years.

ENTREPRENEUR Brett Godfrey launched into his new role as head of the football project group that will build Tasmania’s business case for a team in the AFL and boldly named the year he believes the dream might become a reality.

Mr Godfrey, 55, of Melbourne, said even though the outlook might seem bleak at this stage, market forces would open the door for Tasmania to join the big time.

The co-founder of Virgin Australia, who fell in love with the state flying here with Virgin’s billionaire boss Sir Richard Branson, has been asked to head a project team to put together the case for Tasmania to have an AFL team.

HODGMAN CONFIRMS TEAM TO TAKE TASSIE INTO AFL

HIGH-FLYER TO LEAD TASMANIA’S AFL PUSH

STATE BUDGET: FUNDS TARGET STATE’S AFL TEAM DREAM

He said the one thing that was for certain was change, which could be Tasmania’s golden ticket. “If you look around Australia, all leagues — the NRL, Super Rugby, cricket — it is changing and it is constantly changing to adapt to the market,” Mr Godfrey said.

“The market will see change. It doesn’t want to see the same old, same old.

“I do believe that having Tasmania in the AFL is a drawcard. So that’s why it is really important that we don’t make too many assumptions and decisions today, and I think the game will continue to evolve and maybe 2023 is the right time.”

From left, Labor leader Rebecca White, AFL Project team leader Brett Godfrey, Premier Will Hodgman and and Greens leader Cassy O’Connor. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Mr Godfrey was joined on the Project Team by former Woolworths CEO Grant O’Brien, Football Tasmania board member and Lauderdale Football Club president Julie Kay, prominent Tasmanian businessman Errol Stewart, former GWS Giants chief financial officer and now TasRacing CEO, Paul Eriksson, and the executive chairman of Dynamic Sports and Entertainment Group, James Henderson.

No promises, but Mr Godfrey said he would give it his best “crack”. He would treat it like a start-up business.

“It might sound a bit corporate but it has to be done that way,” he said.

“The best opportunity for us is to demonstrate we can meet every criteria the AFL puts before us, and then some.”

The project group had its first meeting at Blundstone Arena yesterday.

Mr Godfrey set a time frame of six months to complete the business case.

“If it’s shorter, great, it it’s longer, it’s longer,” he said. “The idea is to get this right. This is a crack that we are going to have and I do believe it’s time.”

Tasmania has a full-time under-18s side and is chasing a VFL team and there is a strong push for the state to gain a licence for an AFL team. NAB League Devils player Will Peppin gets his kick away. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

Although a businessman first, Mr Godfrey jumped on board because of his belief in the cause.

“Football is such a unifying sport and such a great national tradition and Tasmania needs to be part of that,” he said.

“I don’t want to raise expectations. We have got to be realistic.

“The AFL is a business and we have to demonstrate that we can grow the size of the pie and not take a slice of it.

“The objective is to get this business case ‘match fit’ so that we are ready when the opportunity comes.

“It’s not going to come in six months, it’s when the opportunity presents that we make sure we are the next and top of the list to participate in the AFL.”

Premier Will Hodgman, joined by Labor leader Rebecca White and Greens leader Cassy O’Connor, said the business case would be watertight.

“We will build the case to give the AFL no opportunity, no reason, no excuse to say Tasmania can’t have its own team in our national competition,” he said. “Until such time that there is a Tasmanian team in the AFL it can’t be called national.”

Premier’s pledge on push into big time

THE future of Hawthorn and North Melbourne’s Tasmanian tenancies hinge on the AFL’s desire to give the state a green light to join the big league, says Premier Will Hodgman.

In a rare show of unity from the three political parties for yesterday’s launch of the project team headed by businessman Brett Godfrey that will build a case for a Tasmanian AFL licence, Mr Hodgman said it was a unified drive.

“Those deals are really important and I have been in touch with Hawthorn and North Melbourne to say we will honour our agreements,” he said.

“They’ve still got some time to run and as to when we next get an understanding from the AFL about a licence of our own in the national competition, we want to continue to work with those clubs.

“We value the longstanding arrangements with Hawthorn in the North and now with North Melbourne in the South. It is important the task force has as one of its terms of reference discussions with those clubs to determine how they can continue to play a role here, what works for them and what serves our push to have a team of our own.”

The Hawthorn and North Melbourne deals both expire in two years.

Tasmania has already ticked numerous boxes in relation to the AFL’s expectation of getting its house in order.

“When I went to the AFL last year to get a sense of what we needed to do, they said you’ve got to demonstrate that you are unified,” Mr Hodgman said.

“Since then we have brought our footy community together and we’ve now got a task force and all political parties supporting our push.

“Now the job is for the task force to make a feasible business case that stacks up, gets governance and corporate structures in place, looks to sponsorship and the role Governments might play and also the corporate sectors, and make sure our pathways for young Tasmanians at all levels remain very strong.”

ENTREPRENEUR Brett Godfrey says he will build a business case that is “match fit” so when opportunity knocks, the AFL cannot refuse granting Tasmania a licence to join the big time.

The co-founder of Virgin Australia, who fell in love with the state flying here with Virgin’s billionaire boss Sir Richard Branson, will head a project team to put together a case for Tasmania to have an AFL team.

No promises, but Godfrey, 55, of Melbourne, said he would give it his best crack.

He will treat it like a start-up business.

“It might sound a bit corporate but it has to be done that way,” Godfrey said.

“The best opportunity for us is to demonstrate we can meet every criteria the AFL puts before us, and then some.”

The project group had its first meeting at Blundstone Arena on Friday.

Godfrey has set a time-frame of six months to complete the business plan.

“If it’s shorter, great, if it’s longer, it’s longer,” he said.

“The idea is to get this right.

“This is a crack that we are going to have and I do believe it’s time.”

Although a businessman first, Godfrey jumped onboard because of his belief in the cause.

“Football is such a unifying sport and such a great national tradition and Tasmania needs to be part of that,” he said.

“I don’t want to raise expectations. We have got to be realistic.

“The AFL is a business and we have to demonstrate that we can grow the size of the pie and not take a slice of it.

“The objective is to get this business case ‘match fit’ so that we are ready when the opportunity comes.

“It’s not going to come in six months, it’s when the opportunity presents that we make sure we are the next and top of the list to participate in the AFL.”

New Tas AFL project team chairman Brett Godfrey at a press conference at Blundstone Arena, Bellerive. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Premier Will Hodgman, joined by Labor leader Rebecca White and Greens leader Cassy O’Connor, said the business case would be water tight.

“We will build the case to give the AFL no opportunity, no reason, no excuse to say Tasmania can’t have its own team in our national competition,” he said.

“Until such time that there is a Tasmanian team in the AFL it can’t be called national.”