Group seeks election funding in quest for Tassie second tier team
A group featuring some heavy hitters is seeking an election commitment of $10.5 million from candidates to help propel a new Tasmania team into Football Australia’s new second division. Read their plans here.
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Former premier David Bartlett believes a big-name consortium looking to bring a Tasmania team to Football Australia’s new second division can use a similar blueprint the JackJumpers used to get to the A-League.
The group, which includes South Hobart FC vice president Ed Swan as spokesman and Bartlett and former state attorney general Brian Wightman as advisors, is seeking an election commitment of $10.5 million over five years from all candidates to get the team off the ground.
South Hobart’s bid for inclusion in the National Second Tier (NST) was short-listed in August. But it fell short of the funding required to be included in the eight teams already given the green light to play in the inaugural competition from next year.
A follow-up proposal to make their bid a Tasmanian-branded, new entity proved compelling to Football Australia.
The deadline to submit a compliant bid to FA for the second round of proposals is April 12, with a final decision in June.
“We read the room within our club, and other clubs and associations across the state, that what we’re really looking to do here is establish a Tasmanian team,” Swan said.
“Our only concern was that would not be accepted by FA, but the feedback was that it wasn’t just acceptable, but compelling. They understood why that lifted the bid to something bigger than us.”
The group is asking for $2.5 million in state government funding for the first season in 2025, and $2 million per year after that until 2029.
It has received letters of support from state sports minister Nic Street, Football Tasmania, various sides of government and soccer clubs and associations across the state.
“I’m not concerned about convincing Football Australia, they are very supportive of our bid. I’m absolutely confident if we can get the money, we’re in,” Swan said.
“I’ll be the first to nail myself to the cross if that’s not right, but FA wants this to be a national second division.
“Currently they have five from Victoria and three from NSW, and they’re working hard for the next four teams to be outside those two jurisdictions.”
Bartlett became Hobart Chargers president in 2017 and declared Tasmania would be ready to return to the NBL in three years.
That came to fruition thanks in part to the Chargers’ and fellow NBL1 outfits Launceston Tornadoes and northwest Thunders’ focus on building the grassroots.
“I believe Tasmania can be A-League ready in the next three to four years. But the pathway to that is via the tier two competition,” Bartlett said.
“The tier two competiion was what enabled Tasmania’s huge success in the NBL. It was there we developed infrastructure, but most importatly identified those infrastructure needs for a tier one competition team.
“We built an audience and I’ll never forget the day I filmed 4500 people watching a Chargers game, sent the footage to the (NBL) owner and said ‘see, there’s an audience here’.
“We built corporate and government support and the government supported that bid significantly, as they should this one.
“Without that pathway through the second tier, I believe we’d still be talking about getting an NBL team in Tasmania, and not really knowing how to get there.”
Bartlett said the JackJumpers set four pillars of being strong in the community and getting into schools, being strong financially, early on-court success and planning a few years.
He insisted the funding request is “extremely good value”, pointing to the funding given to Western United to play A-League games in Tasmania in recent years.
“I think it’s extremely good value if we believe at the end of the process we will be gaining an A-League franchise,” he said.
“A reason I’m so passionate about this bid is it’s through the second tier competition. It’s not pie in the sky, it’s not a dream - it’s a three to four year pathway from the commencement of participating in the tier two competion, to what I believe will be a successful Tasmanian A-leauge franchise.
“I rallied against state government going to NBL clubs to play here while we were in that three year (bidding) process, because I didn’t want us spending tax payer money on just ticking a box for a couple of games.
“I wanted tax payer money to focus on something that would build the sport for here at the top level, and provides a footprint that grows all the clubs and the juniors coming through the system.”
South Hobart will also provide funding for the team, and home games would be played at their Darcy St base.
However, the intent is to play some games in the state’s north, with fruitful discussions with Launceston’s three NPL clubs in particular taking place.
“It will be a new body, new board and new name,” Swan said.
“We’re looking to play games at Darcy St, and in the north as well.
“We’ve had good discussions with NPL clubs, particularly in Launceston, about infrastructure requirements to host a second division game. They’re improvements on lighting and seating, but it’s absolutely achievable.”
Wightman, a life member of Riverside Olympic, agreed chasing a second division license over attempting the giant immediate leap to the A-League is sensible.
“This is about providing a stepping stone which is achievable and affordable,” he said.
“We’re not going straight for an A-League club, which we know will require significant investment for players, sponsoring and marketing.”
“This is a stepping stone to show the product we have here in Tasmania.”
“If you look at the numbers (of people) involved in Tasmanian football, and the lack of fudning that’s goine into infrastructure, I think this is a very reasonable ask.
“It’s not what you would describe as a huge amount of money, when what I would say is an historical underspend on football facilities.”
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