TASSIE FOOTY CRISIS
Burnie out of state league North-West without a team AFL boss: ‘it’s all good’
TASMANIAN football is on its deathbed after Burnie withdrew from the state’s top competition — which has now fallen from 10 teams at its inception in 2009, to just seven.
Burnie’s withdrawal from the TSL also means the renowned footballing nursery of the North-West Coast is without representation, after Devonport also pulled out in December.
But AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan denied there was a crisis in Tasmanian footy, saying “you can look at this through different lenses”.
“There are challenges, but the challenges were much greater two years ago in my view,” Mr McLachlan said.
Sports Minister, Premier Will Hodgman, said: “It is unthinkable that a footy heartland like the North-West Coast will not be represented in our State League.”
Former Melbourne star Brad Green tweeted: “Tassie footy is in disarray. AFL needs to (be) doing something. Stop treating Tasmanians like second-class citizens.”
If you look at the numbers at AFL Tasmania ... the challenges were much greater two years ago in my view
TASMANIAN football is on its deathbed after Burnie withdrew from the TSL — but the AFL’s response is “nothing to see here”.
The State League, Tasmania’s top competition, has fallen from 10 teams in its inception in 2009 to just seven with no representation from the North-West Coast after Devonport withdrew in December.
On top of that, AFL Tasmania chief executive Rob Auld has quit to accept a job with the AFL in Melbourne in the middle of the crisis, replaced by Trisha Squires.
Asked about the poor health of the code in the state,
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said he didn’t “see it the same way”.
“If you look at the numbers at AFL Tasmania the last two years there was no doubt that there are challenges but the challenges were much greater two years ago in my view,’’ Mr McLachlan said.
“The numbers have grown. Robert Auld’s done a hell of a job down there, We’ve invested much more money.
“Now, Rob’s promotion to the AFL, I think, is a good thing and reflects well on the job he’s done in Tasmania and reflects well on what’s happened down there.”
The AFL would continue to invest in the state and had a vision for the future.
“We’ve got a really clear plan for Tasmania. We’ve launched the academy down there with the Kangaroos and the numbers are good,” Mr MacLachlan said.
“So, I think you can look at this through different lenses, and that’s certainly how we see it.”
Tasmanian and former Melbourne star Brad Green said via Twitter: “Tassie footy is in disarray. AFL needs to [be] doing something quickly, STOP treating Tasmanian like second-class citizens.”
Tasmanian Sports Minister, Premier Will Hodgman, said he had raised the issue with Ms Squires.
“It is unthinkable that a footy heartland like the NorthWest Coast will not be represented in our State League,” Mr Hodgman said.
“My Government is committed to supporting football at every level, including investing in grassroots football and improving facilities across the state.”
Opposition sports spokeswoman Michelle O’Byrne said AFL Tasmania needed to work with North-West Coast clubs to keep open an elite pathway.
“It’s disappointing the outgoing CEO has left after 18 months and during a time when North-West clubs are struggling to field teams in the TSL,” Ms O’Byrne said.
Greens Senator Nick McKim did not miss the AFL with his thoughts.
“Footy in Tasmania is in disarray because the AFL is taking money from the state to prop up teams in other parts of the country,” Senator McKim said.
“We are now seeing the results of the AFL’s complete failure to invest in all levels of the game in Tasmania.
“The AFL has prioritised expansion clubs in non-football states over the health of grassroots football in our state.
“It’s a disgrace that there are still no pathways to a Tasmanian men’s or women’s AFL team.”