Inside Football Tasmania’s plan to keep up with growing demand

Football Tasmania says it will continue discussions with the state government about how the Macquarie Point Stadium could lead to a future A-League licence.

Football Tasmania is determined to put plans in place which could help the state secure a A-League teams in future.

The state’s governing body said it was in discussions with the Tasmanian Government in regards to how the new Macquarie Point Stadium could be used to host soccer matches.

It comes after Football Tasmania released its facilities strategy for 2023-2026 which focuses on accommodating the growth of the game, particularly for women and girls.

“To that end, we are currently in discussions with the Government about whether the Macquarie Point Stadium could be suitably configured, or whether a better and more cost-effective option would be a 7-10,000 seat “show pitch” at the Southern Regional Hub, which could cater for A-League and other representative level games,” Football Tasmania chief executive Matt Bulkeley said.

“Under this scenario, the Macquarie Point stadium could still be used for big games, such as international matches, and the Southern Regional Hub could host visiting A-League games, and potentially become the home of Tasmania’s own A-League men’s and women’s teams down the track.”

Football Tasmania has revealed its plans to develop three regional hubs around the state with a focus on accommodating the growth of the game.

The hubs would have a strong focus on women and girls’ participation and would be developed in the north, northwest and south.

The south site would be at a greenfields site and be dubbed the home of football.

Football Tasmania chief executive Matt Bulkeley said the strategy would help to ensure facilities could continue to meet increased demand for a sport with the highest participation rate in the state.

“Football in Tasmania is growing across all categories and is expected to continue to grow,” he said.

“The FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this year will add to that demand, and we want to ensure that participants – particularly women and girls – aren’t turned away due to the lack of suitable facilities.

“That is why the Strategy also includes a focus on continued local facility renewal across the State, including through gender appropriate amenities, lighting upgrades, and hybrid and synthetic surface technology.”