The can is still rolling on our bid for a Tasmanian AFL team

If our current bid for a Tasmanian team is rejected in August, it will be clear that the AFL has no interest in the welfare of the sport in this state, writes Peter Williams

THEY say a week is a long time in politics. It is also a long time in football. And when you are a premier trying to get your state accepted into the AFL national competition, even a few days can be a very long time.

On June 7, the Mercury reported that Premier Jeremy Rockliff had said that the state’s inclusion was not conditional on the government committing to building a new stadium. That was correct — a new stadium was not part of the Tasmanian

Taskforce’s submission. That excellent submission was supported by the man appointed by the AFL to scrutinise its detail, Colin Carter. The submission was then endorsed in principle by the AFL Commission, subject to some fine-tuning by subcommittees of the league and the taskforce before going back to the commission for final approval, and then on to the clubs for adoption, or otherwise.

However, on June 9 Gillon McLachlan informed Mr Rockliff that if we wanted a team we would need to commit to building a new stadium, and that “all Tasmanians would understand that”.

Judging by the comments in the opinion pages of the Mercury, very few Tasmanians understand that at all, and even fewer agreed with it. Some even suggested what Gil might do with his suggestion.

This latest “moving of the goalposts’’ by the AFL is a further example of what Peter Gutwein described as “the AFL kicking the can down the road”, which has been going on for more than 30 years.

Apart from readers’ “spontaneous’’ responses to the AFL’s latest edict, there have been many relevant articles in the Mercury in recent times. In one such interview with Brett Stubbs, Tasmanian football stalwart Michael McGregor echoed what all Tasmanian football people would say: “Enough is enough.”

In another interview, Mr Stubbs reported that Queensland senator Anthony Chisholm had informed him that: “It is chalk and cheese what the AFL are attempting to put Tasmania through compared to the Gold Coast when they were admitted, and Tasmania deserves to be treated so much better. There was no direct financial commitment to the Suns required of the Queensland government.”

I was not surprised by Senator Chisholm’s revelations. In fact, I doubt there was any direct financial commitment required of the NSW, SA and WA

governments when the AFL expanded in to those states. Discrimination is a dirty word.

As for a new stadium, there is absolutely no reason why Blundstone and UTAS stadiums could not be used by a Tasmanian team in the AFL. It is a nonsense to suggest otherwise. As for retractable roofs, there are 16 venues used by the AFL. Only one currently has a roof. This is just another red herring the AFL has thrown at us.

In 2019, Peter Gutwein said what Michael McGregor has now said: “Enough is enough.’’

We had been disrespected by the AFL for too long. Mr Gutwein went on to say, after the taskforce submission had shown that our case was valid, that unless the AFL provided an acceptable time line for our entry, there would be no further extension of the contracts with Hawthorn and North Melbourne.

Mr Gutwein is no longer premier, but I believe it is long overdue that we stood up to the arrogant and patronising AFL. If our current bid for inclusion is rejected in August, after going through all the due processes, it will be clear that the AFL has no interest in the welfare of the sport in this state. And there would be no point in putting forward any future submissions.

The government should therefore immediately inform Hawthorn and North Melbourne that, as Mr Gutwein advised, there will be no further extension of their contracts, and that the money saved, which I understand is about $8m in total, be used for the benefit of all sports at a grassroots and community level in Tasmania.

At the same time, we should inform the AFL that we wish to take back the responsibility for administration of football in this state. That arrangement has clearly not worked to our benefit.

Peter Williams is a former player and chairman of the Launceston Football Club, and served in administration with the Tasmanian Football League.