Hawthorn great Alastair Clarkson joins the Tasmanian AFL Taskforce

An AFL coaching legend has been appointed to the Tasmanian AFL Taskforce in the fight for a 19th license. WHAT HE WILL DO >>

TASMANIA has a new weapon in the battle for an AFL team _ coaching great Alastair Clarkson joined the fight to provide specialist input and directly engage CEO boss Gill McLachlan and the AFL Commission.

Premier Peter Gutwein made the announcement in Parliament on Thursday that Clarkson had joined the state’s AFL Taskforce, albeit for six months.

AFL Rd 23 - Richmond v Hawthorn

“The services of Alastair Clarkson is a significant boost to our team and brings us another step closer to securing our own Tasmanian Football Club AFL licence,” Mr Gutwein said.

The AFL Commission and 18 AFL clubs will vote next year on whether or not to grant Tasmania a 19th AFL club license.

Clarkson will work on:

Funding for a Tasmanian AFL team.

Stadium and Infrastructure development.

A statewide football pathway and structure, including talent identification and development pathways.

Help generate membership and private equity considerations.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 21, 2021: Alastair Clarkson, senior coach of Hawthorn talks to his team at 3/4 time during the round 23 AFL match between the Richmond and Hawthorn at the MCG, on August 20, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Klein)

“Alastair will use his existing knowledge, and his access to prime American sports teams, to provide a specification on what is required for a best-of-breed Training and High Performance Centre,” Mr Gutwein said.

“And he will also provide input on the best way to engage with ex-Tasmanian AFL players both here and interstate.

“The initial engagement for will be for six months – and will include specific interaction with Gillon McLachlan, the AFL Commission and the working party, as part of delivering this project.”