Alarm as clubs hit rock bottom

EAST Devonport, with more than a century of history in Tasmanian football, has gone into recess.

Two of Hobart’s biggest catchment areas will not be able to field colts teams this season, while an Old Scholars Football Association powerhouse might be reduced to just one team.

The struggles at grassroots level tell of a developing crisis in football across the state.

Claremont — in Hobart’s northern suburbs, a traditional nursery for talented footballers — won’t participate in the SFL colts (under-19) competition this season, joining Brighton as the only two SFL clubs without representation.

Brighton, in the state’s fastest growing municipality, has not fielded a colts team for some time.

Richmond, which played in five consecutive OSFA grand finals for two premierships before deciding to sit out last year due to COVID, is advertising for senior players as it faces the possibility of not being able to field a reserves team this season.

TSL club Kingborough was forced to pull out of the STJFL under-18s for the same reason.

East Devonport was forced to pull out of the NWFL seniors, reserves and under-18s this season as it was unable to find the numbers required.

The Swans, which will continue on as a junior club, had been fielding seniors teams for 120 years and was the breeding ground for Darrel Baldock, Matthew Richardson and Graham Wright.

SFL president Russell Young said these were worrying times for Tasmanian football.

“It is getting very, very serious,” Young said.

“The kids are doing a lot more casual work than they ever did before.

“We’ve got to really look at the whole thing, including juniors.

“From the SFL point of view, to survive we have to really get our hands dirty and work out what the problems are and see what we can do to fix them.”

Young said the league was looking outside the square.

“We need to start looking at how many numbers we have on the ground,” he said.

“For instance with the STJFL, their numbers are 18 on the ground and four on interchange, but if either side hasn’t got enough they play equals down to 14 aside and I’m starting to think we need to bring the numbers back to 16.”

The news is not all bad for the SFL colts, with Hobart returning to the competition this season after a hiatus, and the SFLW competition expanding to 17 teams due to the demise of the TSLW and the inclusion of three OSFA clubs. It is likely there will be two divisions.

Richmond president John Conway said should it be required, the OSFA has given the club the all clear to participate with just one team this season.