CLUBS TO PLAY ON

AFL set to back State League

THE AFL will next week commit to funding the Tasmanian State League until at last 2023 as part of its plans to fix our footy.

But each of the seven TSL clubs will have to meet a series of new key performance indicators to receive their annual $100,000 grants from the AFL.

The deal will form part of the final report by the AFL’s steering committee into Tassie footy — prompted by the Mercury’s Save Our Footy campaign.

The report and its plans will be unveiled during a visit to Tasmania by AFL boss Gillon McLachlan late next week.

The TSL presidents were yesterday given two weeks to develop their KPIs, designed to ensure the AFL’s cash is being spent building the “football landscape” within each club’s zone. e.

Mr McLachlan will today ay chair the steering committee’s s final meeting. The AFL commission will then sign off on the recommendations.

THE TSL is safe until 2023 but from next year the clubs will have to jump through hoops to get their money from the AFL.

At a meeting of the seven TSL presidents with members of the AFL steering committee — AFL game development manager Rob Auld, AFL state league manager Simon Laughton, AFL talent competitions and operations manager Marcus Ashcroft — in Launceston yesterday, Mr Auld said existing licence agreements would be honoured.

However, key performance indicators would dictate what clubs have to do to get their grant money from next year.

The clubs have to come up with the KPIs and have two weeks to get back to Mr Auld.

The presidents will meet next week to decide on them.

It was the final time the TSL presidents will meet the steering committee.

The final steering committee meeting will be held in Melbourne today before AFL boss Gillon McLachlan announces its finding on June 30.

Tigers president Paul Gadomski said the clubs were told the licences would be honoured, albeit governed by new KPIs.

“I’m pretty comfortable about where we are at,” Mr Gadomski said.

“When we left the meeting at Blundstone Arena eight weeks ago we were pretty much told we probably would not exist in the landscape moving forward to now be in a pos- ition we know that the premier competition is going to stay and be funded by the AFL.

“The landscape is going to change and we are in that negotiation stage now.”

Mr Gadomski said the AFL has committed to fund the state’s premier competition until 2023.

“But they have a desire to make changes to the licence agreement,” he said.

“The major one is they want to introduce a certain number of KPIs and each TSL club, which has a grant of $100,000 a year, will have to meet those to get the money.

“We don’t know the context and the make-up of [the KPIs] yet because they have asked us to tell them what we think the key performance indicators should be.

“The only guidance we have been given is they want the KPIs to fit into three areas — junior development within your zone, working with the community in your zone, and club governance and operations.”

The AFL will also pay for full-time development managers in the three regions.

Mathew Armstrong will look after the South, while the North and North-West talent managers have been appointed and will be announced by McLachlan.

Mr McLachlan will chair today’s final meeting of the steering committee, which has been investigating the problems with the game in the foundation state and working on solutions to fix them.

The report will be approved and sent to the AFL Commission before Mr McLachlan announces the findings on Saturday-week — most likely Hobart.

“It’s pretty much done and dusted,” Mr Gadomski.

“The steering committee is meeting tomorrow. I reckon that’s to rubber stamp the plan before it gets written up and shown to the AFL Commission and then is announced by Gill.”

Prospects for a Tasmanian AFL team, or a VFL team, or the future of the Tassie Mariners are still cloaked in silence.