AFL DREAM STILL ALIVE
Premier in talks with league boss about Tasmanian team
MANY thought the onset of the COVID crisis also killed off any hopes of a Tasmanian AFL team, but the state’s premier believes it may actually speed up theprocess.
Premier Peter Gutwein has been in discussions with AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan recently and plans to ramp up the talks during the next four to six weeks.
The government’ s AFLT askforce’ s business case put in an aspiration of a 2025 time frame for 11 home games a season returning $110m and creating 360 jobs.
TASMANIA will continue to pursue its AFL dream — and theCOVID-19crisismayopen the door sooner than previously planned.
Premier Peter Gutwein has been in discussions with AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan recently and plans to ramp up the talks in the next four to six weeks after the dust has settled on the delayed, reduced 2020 season that has hit the big league’ s coffers hard.
The government’s AFL Taskforce’s business case, released just before the COVID outbreak, put in an aspiration of a 2025 time frame at a taxpayer cost of $7.3 ma year for 11 home games a season returning $110 m and 360 jobs.
“In terms of the current year and what next year looks like in a COVID environment, those two factors will impact the AFL’ s business model moving forward ,” Mr Gutwein told theMercury.
“But in terms of our aspirations and the time frame (2025) laid out in the taskforce’s business case, I don’t see that will be pushed out.
“In fact there maybe an opportunity to bring it forward— those are the discussions we needtohave.”
The government has also started talks with Hawthorn, while TT-Line’s contract with North Melbourne also ends afternextyear.
Combined they are worth $8 ma season to the Hawks and the Roos for eight AFL gamesaseason.
There have been rumblings in Melbourne that North Melbourne’ s future lies in Tasmania, but Mr Gut we in said he had not had any discussions with the Kangaroos about them playing more games in Tasmania, and that the focus remained on the state securing its own licence. He said he was focused on providing AFL content in Tasmania beyond 2021, but there was a cave at.
“I’ve always been of the view that the next contracts we put in place need to be contracts that provide a bridge to our next step and that would be our AFLlicence,”h es aid.
“I’ve had discussions with Hawthorn as well recently, we started to discuss the 2022 year contract onwards and I’ve certainly indicated to (Hawks president) Jeff Ken net tour desire hasn’t changed, our aspiration remains for an AFL licence.
“But obviously we need to sit down and work through this sensibly.”
Previous Hawthorn contracts have been over five years, but Mr Gut we in said the length of the next deal would be worked out in conjunction with the AFL as to“what it sees (as) the future for Tasmania andanAFLlicence”.
Mr Gutwein would not say whether the next deal would also include a sponsorship component with the Hawks.