REASONS TO BELIEVE
POWERBROKERS AT AFL HOUSE SAID TASSIE COULD NEVER SUSTAIN ITS OWN TEAM. HERE IS WHY THEY’RE WRONG
1 OUR HISTORY AND APPETITE FOR AFL
WE have been playing the game here since 1864, and we are a proud footy state. Football is of course the dominant sport here from a participation and supporter perspective. That point is demonstrated in the fact that 91,000 Tasmanians are financial members of current AFL teams. Consider that level of support against the current membership of the Gold Coast Suns (12,200), the Greater Western Sydney Giants (25,200), and even North Melbourne (41,000).
2 SUPPORT RIGHT ACROSS TASSIE
ALL Tasmania’s political parties are strong supporters of the current push for our own team in the AFL and AFLW. Add to that the steps recently by the AFL and the newly established Football Tasmania Board to ensure a unified approach to the future of football in the state. It is all helping. All three regions are unanimous in their support for a local AFL team.
4 TALENT EQUAL TO ANY OTHER STATE
TASMANIA has provided a steady pipeline of the highest quality AFL players over the years. Think Ian Stewart, pictured, and his three Brownlows, or Darrell Baldock, Royce Hart and Peter Hudson. And this legacy continues today with 25 Tasmanian locals on senior AFL lists in 2019, including Jack Riewoldt, Ben Brown and Grant Birchall; while Tasmanian Chris Fagan is the current coach of the Brisbane Lions. Tasmania also boasted 12 women on AFLW lists last season.
5 PRECEDENTS ON THE MAINLAND
SOME say Tassie fans are too connected to their current AFL teams to back a local club, but look at the other heartland footy states who have more recently joined the big league. The Adelaide Crows, Port Power, West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers have all very successfully won their fans “back” to provide the foundation of their modern-day powerhouse membership bases of 77,500 (Crows), 60,300 (Eagles), 57,800 (Power) and 46,400 (Dockers).
THE success of the North Queensland Cowboys has clear relevance to our push. The team is based in Townsville, home to about 178,000 people. Fans from Mackay and Cairns drive four hours each way to attend home games, where the average crowd is 15,400 (compared to 12,500 so far for AFL in Launceston and 11,000 in Hobart). North Queensland is a remote and highcost heartland for league, while Tasmania is less remote, cheaper — and just as passionate.