Expansion or relocation? Everything on the table in review of Tasmania’s case to join the AFL

Tasmania’s business case to join the AFL has all been based on expansion and the 19th licence, but the man conducting the review of the state’s case says that is not the only option.

• Man who led AFL’s initial expansion to review state’s business case
• An answer in the debate for a Tasmanian AFL team could be nigh

THE AFL’S review of Tasmania’s business case could recommend a team being relocated south.

Former AFL commissioner Colin Carter said his scope was not limited solely to expansion and a 19th licence.

Mr Carter, a former Geelong president who also served for 15 years on the AFL’s commission, is currently undertaking a review of the state government-appointed taskforce’s business case for league entry.

The taskforce’s conclusions are based on the state receiving a 19th licence, but Mr Carter – in his first interview since being appointed to conduct the review — said that was not the only option he was looking at.

“The terms of reference from the AFL are to look at everything,” Mr Carter told the Mercury.

“Presumably it (relocation) would be included (and) if I had that point of view on any of those things the AFL wants to know about it.”

Colin Carter. Picture: Peter Ristevski

The review will be completed by July and returned to the AFL, but the commission will not make a decision until the end of this season.

Mr Carter said he was coming from a completely neutral position on the state’s entry.

“I haven’t been a supporter or an opponent either,” he said.

“I think I was quoted once as saying if you are talking about the clubs that needed support it seems a bit odd we support 10 Victorian ones but not the first Tasmanian one, which is not a case for either the 10th Victorian one of the first Tasmanian one.”

He has started talking to different stakeholders about the review, but was waiting until after the recent state election before heading to Tasmania to talk to Premier Peter Gutwein, head of AFL Tasmania Damian Gill and others for his review.

“Mainly at this stage there is a whole bunch of analysis for club economics, likely levels of support, looking at benchmarks across the industry, looking at regional teams in other competitions and other places,” Mr Carter said.

“There is all of that going on and in addition I’ve been having conversations with a bunch of what you might call football opinion leaders in the media.

“Not to say they are right or wrong but just interested to know what their starting position is.”

Hawthorn and North Melbourne both have contracts to play matches in Tasmania and they will be part of the conservation around a review into a Tasmanian team. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

He also planned to talk to the state’s current co-tenants, Hawthorn and North Melbourne, and while it was aimed at assessing an AFL team, he would also look at the current structures at community level.

Mr Carter, who wrote the then VFL’s strategy on a national competition and equalisation back in the 1980s, said a decision of whether a Tasmanian team could enter was never made, but now the time was right.

However, he said it might not be a simple yes or no verdict.

“I don’t know whether my views at the end of this process will be finely balanced or emphatic one side or the other,” Mr Carter said.

“There is a lot of water to go under the bridge before that but I will be absolutely trying to do the best job I can.”

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