Tasmania pushing for A-League team by 2021

The team behind Tasmania’s A-League bid says the state could still have its own club after FFA’s new chairman flagged further expansion.

THE team behind Tasmania’s A-League bid says the state could have its own club in the competition as soon as 2021, after Football Federation Australia’s new chairman flagged further expansion.

Tasmania’s bid appeared dead in the water after the state failed to make the expansion shortlist when it was whittled from 15 to 10 bids by FFA in June.

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A Western Melbourne team will join the competition next season, and a third Sydney club based at Campbelltown will boost the number of A-League clubs to 12 the season after.

However, after confirming the successful bids last week, FFA chair Chris Nikou said his new board was “firmly in favour” of adding more teams, though without a definite timetable.

Nikou said a timetable for moving to 14 teams and then 16 would have to wait for the new operating model for an independent A-League due to be completed by the end of March.

He said his preference would be to add more teams starting the year after the Macarthur South West United team is admitted in 2020-21.

The Tasmanian bid has been backed by Melbourne millionaire Harry Stamoulis, and bid spokeswoman Victoria Morton said Stamoulis was still committed to the state’s push for a future licence.

“From our perspective, we are still here and we’re just waiting for everything to line up,” Morton said.

“The bid is still strong, we are waiting for the new A-League working model to be finalised.”

Morton said Tasmania could have a team in the competition within three years.

“From our point of view, we are ready to start forming our club whenever we’re granted a licence — as soon as possible, from our perspective,” she said.

“I believe the first opportunity would be 2021, unless the new A-League working model changes that.”

While Tasmania’s bid failed to make the 10-team shortlist for the latest round of expansion, Morton said that was not cause for concern.

“We continue to believe our bid is strong and was when first presented,” she said.

“We believe that the selection criteria will be different once the new operating model is in place.”