Day of firsts in northern debut

LAUNCESTON’S first game of elite women’s football attracted a new legion of young fans of the game to University of Tasmania Stadium.

Devonport girl Sharni McLean-Lowe, 16, was among those who until last night had never attended a professional football match.

“It’s good that a woman can be involved in a male dominant sport,” said Sharni, whose favourite footballer is Geelong’s injured first draft pick Nina Morrison.

The newly established North Melbourne side, playing two home games in Tasmania as part of its partnership with the state, hosted the Bulldogs in a clash between the AFLW’s top two sides.

A crowd of 3123 watched the Roos win by 31 points, after more than 5000 turned out in Hobart for the side’s Tassie debut two weeks ago.

Young fans like 15-year-old Ashleigh Bahl, from Launceston, relished the newfound prominence of the women’s game.

A Launceston home game reignited Ashleigh’s interest in the competition.

“I followed the first season but then I kind of zoned out,” she said.

Ashleigh went to the game with friend Shakaya Johnston, who has played football before. “It’s nice to actually have [a professional league],” Shakaya, 15, said.

“It shows that women aren’t as weak as people make them out to be.”

It was North Melbourne’s last game in Tasmania this season.

NORTH Melbourne believes a summit should be called with all stakeholders, including both the state’s AFL tenants, to work on a Tasmanian football grassroots structure and a path for entry into the big league.

The Tasmanian Government an- nounced this week members for the Football Tasmania Board tasked with increasing participation and pushing for the state’s AFL team.

North Melbourne chief executive Carl Dilena, in town as part of the Roos’ community camp, welcomed the creation of the board and said it was time all parties worked together to help lift Tasmanian football. “It is interesting the two clubs that play here haven’t really been consulted along the way, but we do a hell of a lot in the community, a hell of a lot with talent pathways,” Dilena said.

“If Tasmania wants to build the football infrastructure and set themselves up for the future, everyone needs to come together and work out how do we actually achieve that? “How do we work together? “We would welcome that. “We want to develop grassroots football, we want to develop the competitions here.

“It is not a decision for us whether Tassie gets its own team in the future. BRETT STUBBS, Sports editor

“It is probably a broader economic question rather than sentiment, but we are happy to support the board and people trying to make a change here.”

Both the North Melbourne and Hawthorn contracts, which see each team play four roster games in Hobart and Launceston respectively, expire at the end of the 2021 season.

Many advocates for a Tasmanan team see these deals as the only leverage the state has to push for a concrete plan from the AFL for the state’s inclusion.

Premier Will Hodgman said there was no rush to start renegotiations with the clubs and the AFL any time soon.

But he said that the future of the deals would be discussed at the right time.

“They [the contracts] are an important part of the current football landscape,” Mr Hodgman said.

“I think all AFL clubs and the AFL know many Tasmanians and certainly the Government are keen to advance the concept and the plan for a team of our own.

“That will take some time, we know that.

“In the meantime we have got important relationships we respect so of course we will honour those contracts but at an appropriate time any discussions about the future will occur.”