Membership stats show state’s passion

TASMANIA has no AFL side of its own and no real prospects of one in the near future, but still has more members of existing teams than three current clubs.

Figures released by the AFL yesterday to the Mercury show there are 31,023 paid up Tasmanian members of AFL clubs, with Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Richmond the biggest beneficiaries of the state’s passion for the sport.

It is more than double the amount of members for the Gold Coast Suns (12,108, the lowest in the AFL), and comfortably more than Brisbane (24,867) and the GWS Giants (25,243).

Meanwhile, the State Opposition has backed the push for North Hobart Oval to host the first AFLW game played by the North Melbourne-Tasmania Kangaroos.

Opposition Sport spokesman David O’Byrne called on the Tasmanian Government to get more proactive for the state to host the new entity’s first game next season after it was revealed neither the Roos nor the Government was yet to put in a request for the debut match.

“Labor absolutely supports the Tasmanian Kangaroos AFLW side playing its first game in Tasmania, if that’s at North Hobart then we fully support that too,” Mr O’Byrne said.

“It is concerning that the Premier (Will Hodgman) is trying to take credit for this when the AFL has said neither the State Government nor North Melbourne had made a request for Tasmania to be the first venue for the Kangaroos’ first clash.

“The fact that the Liberal Government haven’t even picked up the phone to lobby for this match shows how focused they are on the issue.

“If Tasmania cannot bargain for our own AFLW side to play its first game in Tasmania it says a lot about the relative bargaining power of our state to the AFL.”