Premier Will Hodgman coy on Tasmanian government’s AFL sponsorship
TASMANIA has a bargaining chip with the AFL but will play its cards close to its chest.
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PREMIER Will Hodgman has refused to say whether the state’s $7.5 million commitment to football was on the table in talks with AFL chief Gillon McLachlan.
Mr Hodgman met Mr McLachlan during the AFL chief executive’s visit on Wednesday to discuss the crisis engulfing Tasmanian football.
The Premier left the talks saying the AFL had been left in no doubt where the state stood on the issue plaguing the game’s grassroots.
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Both men talked up the prospect of a Tasmanian AFL side but it remains unclear whether the $3 million-a-year deal with Hawthorn, the $1.5 million paid to North Melbourne and money to support AFL Tasmania were used as bargaining chips.
“We are massive supporters of the AFL, and invest heavily in the sport, but that support has been, and will continue to be, based on getting the best deal for Tasmania,” Mr Hodgman told the Mercury.
“The AFL has heard loud and clear that the status quo is utterly unacceptable, and they are now taking steps to fix footy in Tasmania.
“At the end of the day, the buck stops with the AFL — they are in charge of football and they have to fix it.”
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Mr Hodgman has described a future Tasmanian AFL club as “our dream” but declined to say whether it was achievable in this term of government.
Contracts with the Hawks and Kangaroos expire at the end of 2021, just months before the next state election.
The AFL has put together a steering committee, which includes high-profile Nick Riewoldt and Brendon Bolton, to come up with stage one of a solution in three weeks.
“I have made it clear that having a clear pathway forward is essential,” Mr Hodgman said.
Mr McLachlan said on Wednesday work would soon begin on a model for the AFL’s presence in the state, but Tasmanian football needed to be fixed first.
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