Libs drop money ball, says basketball boss

THE Hobart Chargers are becoming increasingly frustrated at the State Government’s willingness to fork out money for fly in, fly out sporting models, while they struggle to meet demand for junior participation.

Deals with Hawthorn and North Melbourne to play seven AFL matches a year at either end of the state cost at least $5 million a year, while it has emerged Brisbane could play the first AFL women’s match in the state in 2018 at a cost of $100,000.

This year the Government locked in a $1.65 million, threeyear partnership with the Collingwood Football Club for its affiliated netball team the Magpies to play at least one Super Netball match a season in Tasmania.

It is also believed NBL franchise Melbourne United is investigating a three-year deal to play two regular season games, which would cost about $400,000 a year.

Meanwhile, the Chargers are overloaded by school interest, with more than 8000 stu- dents expected to attend 350 clinics by season end.

Junior rosters are at breaking point, with teams being turned away because of a lack of adequate facilities.

In a new funding agreement between the Government and Basketball Tasmania the club will receive $105,000 to help deliver clinics, but the sport as a whole is in desperate need of a multi-court stadium to facilitate the boom in popularity.

“While the Chargers are grateful for the Government recognition in supporting our schools program in this budget, we are concerned at reports it is considering a threeyear deal with an NBL club at a cost of $400,000 per year,” Chargers president and former premier David Bartlett said.

“I will be raising this with the Government and asking they include the Chargers NBL aspirations in their planning.

“We hand out around $5 million to visiting AFL clubs and wonder why they won’t give us a Tasmanian team.

“It would be very disturbing to see Tasmania go down the same route with basketball and cruel our chances of ever having a real Tasmanian team in the national league.”

Treasurer Peter Gutwein said no NBL deal had been signed.

“While a proposal has been received from Basketball Tasmania and Melbourne United to play games in Tasmania, the talks are exploratory only,’’ Mr Gutwein said.

“It is somewhat galling to hear the former Labor premier who renewed the Hawks funding arrangement for five years in 2010 to now complain about this deal.”

About 120 grade 5 and 6 Dodges Ferry Primary students attended a clinic yesterday, with some to attend a match at the DEC and meet players later this season.