North Hobart has backed the delay in announcing the future of the TSL
One of the state’s top football clubs has backed the delay in deciding the future of the TSL. LATEST >>
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THE state’s most successful football club North Hobart believes a Tasmanian AFL team is a “near certainty”.
That’s why Demons president Craig Martin backed the move to hold off on declaring the future of the State League until the AFL is ready to make an announcement on a future Tasmanian AFL license in 2022.
Martin also endorsed the appointment of legendary Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson to have a key involvement in the future of the TSL.
“Hitting the pause button on the Football Futures project is a sensible move,” Martin said.
“The future landscape and structure of footy in Tasmania must consider the near certainty of Tasmania getting an AFL team, which is a point that North Hobart made when Football Futures was launched earlier this year.
“An AFL Team for the state will be the biggest, most profoundly positive thing to happen in footy in Tasmania.
“As Colin Carter stated on page 14 of his July 2021 report: ‘The AFL will have secured Tasmania as a core piece of its heartland while creating an organisation with around 100 or so jobs for players, former players and other officers. It will revitalise our code in Tasmania’.”
TSL clubs welcomed confirmation that their license agreements, taking the competition through to 2023, would be honoured.
“Not having a ‘Sword of Damocles’ hanging over our head where the AFL could declare next season that the competition will end, is a relief,” Martin said.
“We strongly believe, as do all the TSL clubs, that a well-resourced, vibrant TSL that provides the opportunity for aspirational players that significantly differentiates the product from other competitions in the state is critical to the development of the game here, talent pathways and for underpinning an AFL Team in the same way the SANFL and WAFL do.”
Martin said the opportunity now existed to make the TSL stronger by:
- Restoring our funding to at least pre-Covid levels.
- Working with East Devonport to create a team on the North-West Coast.
- Increasing the TSL salary cap
- Quickly and urgently ensuring that salary caps and the monitoring of player payments, which currently happens in the TSL, occurs at competitions that sit under the TSL.
Head of AFL Tasmania, Damian Gill, was encouraged that so many people valued the TSL and Tasmanian football.
“It is great to have genuine buy-in for the futures project and to have so many Tasmanians invested in playing their part in setting up Tassie footy for success,” Gill said.
“With such a significant number of stakeholders from all levels of the game providing input, it shows how much Tasmanians care about setting a vision and purpose for local football.”
Is the future of the TSL in Clarko’s hands?
LEGENDARY AFL coach Alastair Clarkson will have a big say in the future of the TSL after a decision on the state league was deferred.
AFL Tasmania had previously started its Tasmanian Football Future Project independently of the state’s push for an AFL team, but will now fall in step with the Taskforce.
The AFL is expected to make a final decision on a Tasmanian team mid next year, and now the future of the TSL will follow suit.
Clarkson, a four-time Hawthorn premiership coach, will work with AFL Tasmania on the structure below a league team.
AFL Tasmania today briefed state league clubs and will release a statement later this afternoon.
The seven existing TSL clubs have been assured the competition will continue to the end of the current license agreement, 2023, after only been given a guarantee of the state league until the end of next year.
The AFL Chief Financial Officer and Executive General Manager Clubs and Broadcasting Travis Auld, and AFL General Manager Sam Graham, would lead the AFL’s work with the Tasmanian Government and the Tasmanian AFL Licence Taskforce in further assessing a position for a Tasmanian license.
“We are at a very important juncture in the continued assessment of modelling for a potential team in Tasmania and the announcement today reflects the importance it has within AFL head office,” said AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan.
“Travis and Sam will lead our work, Travis having recently played a crucial leadership role in ensuring the last two AFL and AFLW seasons were successfully navigated throughout the Covid pandemic and Sam, previously holding key leadership roles across Game Development and our growth in NSW, will solely focus on this project, ensuring we have a preferred position to take to the AFL Club Presidents next year.”
The state government will help AFL Tasmania roll out a “community football support package” for 2022, to target three key areas _ volunteers, coaches and umpires.
“It has become clear in recent times, through discussions with a range of stakeholders and due to the AFL continuing to work its way through the Carter Report, that we have an opportunity to bring the project together with the Taskforce to develop a holistic plan for the game,” said Head of AFL Tasmania, Damian Gill.
“We are excited to be working with the Taskforce and Alastair Clarkson, one of the most respected figures in the game, on what’s best for Tasmanian football.
“The work conducted so far sets us up really well for the next 12 months and gives us a strong foundation to work from.”
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