TSL on smell of oily rag

Budget-style model ‘only way’ to save season

THE TSL clubs and AFL Tasmania are working on a costefficient model to save the 2020 season.

Some club presidents met with AFL Tasmania chief executive Trisha Squires in a series of one-on-one meetings on starting a mid-July to end of October season, with more individual meetings on today followed by a group session on Friday.

It comes after Squires revealed in yesterday’s Mercury the very real possibility of no senior football in the state this

BRETT STUBBS

year due to the financial impact of no crowds or as a directive of public health.

Tigers president Paul Gadomski said he was buoyed by his update with Squires.

“All seven TSL clubs are committed to getting a season up and running however that may look,” Gadomski said.

“We need to explore it from a perspective of the lowest possible cost.

“Then we need to explore what funding sources are available to facilitate that.

“That is pretty much the work that commenced today.

“It would be an absolute tragedy if there is no football played in Tasmania this year if the virus situation allows it to be played.

“It is situations like this that when you are in a crisis you need leaders to plot the course forward and deliver the outcome people desire.

“AFL Tasmania needs to take that role and they need to try and explore every possible avenue on a season for this year.”

Although he said all options were on the table, the Tigers were not keen on a season without finals or a season “without an outcome”.

Each club receives about $107,000 a year from the AFL as part of its licence contract.

But this payment has been put on hold until the season starts again, and Squires warned it may not be paid in full as clubs would not be able to meet their key performance indicators around school clinics and assisting community football.

The AFL is yet to inform AFL Tasmania how much of the funding is available as it had been focused on returning the elite game — which drives all revenue — up and going.

Gadomski said even with players, coaches and trainers taking no payments for the rest of the year, costs would still be incurred through ground hire, electricity bills, footballs and other training equipment, and medical supplies.

“But we won’t know until we get a skeleton roster in place and cost it out,” he said.

“There are many, many variables in there.

“Some councils are saying they are considering not charging for ground hire, some say they can’t do that.

“There will be a lot of give and take on both sides, but it has to be driven by AFL Tas.

“We are relying on them to pull us through.”