HOW TO SOLVE OUR FOOTY CRISIS
An open letter to AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan
Dear Mr McLachlan,
I write as a first class lover of the game but sadly a second class AFL citizen as I live in Tasmania.
The game here in Tasmania cannot survive without your help – enough is enough. Yes we have been a loyal ally for many years but we can’t be ignored any longer. There should be a clear mandate to get the game right in our country before you even consider international expansion. And what an absolute joke is the recent announcement of the potential AFLX expansion overseas. Forget about the China game and International Series against Ireland and refocus your attention on one of your very own footy family members that is bleeding to death.
You corrected a serious wrong last year when you finally formed the AFLW league for female participants at the elite level in this country. It’s now time to turn your attention to Tassie; we remain the only state that needs your help. Yes we are sorry we don’t have the population base to support a ‘potential’ massive TV audience but we simply love the game and have given so much to it.
AFL
It is our own fault in many ways as we have been happy with our allocation of four Hawthorn games and more recently three North Melbourne games instead of demanding our own team. We have accepted our lot and even been pleased with how the AFL generously allocates a Melbourne-based team to play in the state.
While at the same time, $46 million has been sunk into the pitiful teams in the Queensland - Gold Coast Suns and Brisbane Lions. When are you going to realise, no one cares about AFL up there except a few expat Victorians and Tasmanians.
We simply need and deserve our own AFL team. Why shouldn’t we demand an AFL team and we should never be happy with our current situation.
The big question is who goes into bat for our state? Certainly not the AFL Tasmania’s CEO with a line manager directly at AFL headquarters. And this is fair enough in many ways as he or she must ‘toe the party line’ as is the case in any organisation. Without a board of directors/management structure full of passionate Tasmanians, we have no voice at the national table.
SOLUTION: Amalgamate the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns into one team with both clubs sharing home games. Grant the newly created 18th licence to Tasmania to play homes games out of both Launceston and Hobart.
TSL
Locally it’s no surprise the TSL is in disarray. How can the statewide clubs operate on a $100,000 annual grant from the AFL? Now compare this funding to the millions of dollars the AFL spends propping up the NEAFL competition. This competition exists only to provide solid competition for the GWS, Sydney, Brisbane and Gold Coast reserves teams.
The best players in the state need the opportunity to play against each other on a regular basis and this has to be the TSL structure. A team is definitely needed on the North-West Coast and this must be a current club. Remember the lessons learnt from forging a combined team – namely Southern Cats and the Western Storm. We can’t return to regional footy. North Launceston should never play a regional team like Scottsdale, likewise Clarence should never play Lindisfarne. The regional competitions have their battles but they remain healthy and are so important to local communities.
Check out the AFL Queensland’s staffing list on their website. I count a grand total of 90 staff members. Now compare that to the skeleton staff at AFL Tasmania.
SOLUTION: TSL club funding must be increased to $250,000 a year minimum. TSL clubs must be held to account for this increased funding and develop genuine engagement strategies with the local community while providing quality coach education and training programs.
ACADEMY
This area needs urgent attention. North Melbourne FC – you can’t be serious claiming you have an academy in this state! Our current program consists of some one-off glorified try out sessions conducted by AFL Tasmania staff with a particular focus on players with a multicultural or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. It’s simply not good enough.
I knew we were in trouble last year when I watched the Mariners v GWS academy game. At the three-quarter time huddle, I saw GWS coach Jason Saddington (162 AFL games) address his troops surrounded by heaps of support staff decked out in orange.
Football Department director Wayne Campbell (297 AFL games) joined in and kindly pointed out some coaching points to young GWS players using his iPad. Poor old Mariners coach Lance Spaulding and his trusty local lieutenants with their limited resources were up against it.
The Sydney Swans Academy coaching staff consists of head coach Jared Crouch (223 AFL games) with talent and development manager Nick Davis (168 AFL games). Brisbane Lions Academy coach Josh Hunt (212 AFL games) and Gold Coast coaches (195 AFL games) and (129 AFL games) round out the academies our Mariners play against in a short season. Get the picture – coaches that have continually been part of the AFL system surrounded by huge support staff.
The support staffing structure at all four academies is extraordinary.
The best young players in NSW and Queensland aged 11 to 19 participate in weekly training sessions under the guidance of experienced coaches and support staff.
SOLUTION: Increase AFL Tasmania’s State Academy staffing to the equivalent level of the Brisbane, Gold Coast, GWS and Sydney Swans. It’s only fair we compete on a level playing field with the same resources. Establish fully funded academy programs in each of the three regions of the state with appropriate human and facility resources so that our best players aged 11 to 19 years have the opportunity to participate in regular high-quality coaching sessions.
Gill, please don’t focus on one particular area above the other. Don’t think we will be happy if you throw a few extra few dollars at the TSL. We deserve and desperately need your full attention.
Blair Brownless was a three-time premiership player with Clarence in the old Statewide League, after he was recruited from the Collingwood reserves. Since his playing days he has coached DOSA in the Old Scholars and been a long-time teacher and sports administrator.
