Steering committee drops funding bombshell on TSL in heated meeting
THE AFL is refusing to increase funding to the Tasmanian State League and will not guarantee its future – meaning next year could be its last.
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THE AFL is refusing to increase funding to the Tasmanian State League and will not guarantee its future – meaning next year could be its last.
Instead, additional money will be injected into “development pathways”, while strong consideration is being given to the Tassie Mariners playing full-time in the under-18 TAC Cup competition and Tasmania joining the NEAFL.
If the state did join that competition, which includes teams from Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Darwin, it would sign the death warrant for Tasmania’s premier league.
Its annual AFL funding of $1.3 million would go to pay for the NEAFL team.
MORE: SPECULATION MOUNTS ON TSL’S FUTURE
TSL clubs are outraged by the possibility.
With a decision to be made in about seven weeks, clubs are preparing to fight for their survival after members of the AFL’s steering committee – formed by AFL CEO Gill McLachlan in March to analyse the health of football in Tasmania and reconstruct its future – outlined a range of options at a meeting at Blundstone Arena on Thursday.
Steering committee member, former AFL Tasmania CEO Rob Auld, now AFL game development manager, took only minutes to drop the funding bomb.
AFL Tasmania CEO Trisha Squires said the meeting was heated at times.
“There was emotion. There was passion,” she said.
“There were times when it got pretty passionate and there were times it was pretty robust, but that’s part of the process.”
It seems the clubs did not appreciate the honesty of the conversation.
“I feel really good coming out of the meeting that we’ve sat down, we’ve talked, we’ve been transparent, we’ve been honest with each other, and we are going through this process together,” Squires said.
“This is a tough process for everyone.
“No decision has been made. We are working through to get that decision made and talking to as many people as we can in this process.”
MORE: ‘NO TRUTH’ TO SUGGESTIONS TSL WILL BE CANNED
North Launceston president Thane Brady is not confident the TSL will stay.
“We have to live in hope. The State League is an excellent product, we have proven that,” Brady said.
“There is no point changing a model unless it is going to be a huge improvement.”
The State League clubs have licence agreements until the end of 2019, so the competition will have to be played next year even if it is scrapped.
The meeting was also attended by AFL state league manager Simon Laughton and AFL head of talent, education and projects Tristan Salter.
AFL Tasmania will meet with presidents in two weeks, and the steering committee will meet with presidents again in Hobart by the end of the month.
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