FORGOTTEN FOOTY STATE

‘YEARS of neglect and contempt are coming back to haunt the AFL,” Mercury sports editor Brett Stubbs writes in his powerful piece today. Interest and participation in footy in Tasmania is in decline—apart from the female code—and he forewarns that if the league is not quick to act, the Apple Isle will move onwards and upward sin terms of engaging in other codes.

Tasmania has always been a proud footy state but we’ve been lost in the national sporting wilderness for far too long. That is until a couple of things changed. Back in February — after 24 years in exile—it was revealed Tasmania would reenter the NBL with new team the Jack-Jumpers.

Under owner Larry Kestelman’s stewardship, the competition is flying. Attendances are up and so are the ratings. With the success comes better standards, imports and international recognition.

The new Tasmanian NBL team brings with it significant economic benefits via Mr Kestelman’s planned $200m development at Wilkins ons Point which should also create 1199 full-time equivalent jobs.

This move for a new Tasmanian team also gives local kids something to aspire to.

Having the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL is nothing to discount either.

And as we’ve said before, there is no coincidence that Tasmania joining the national domestic cricket competitions saw the rise of the likes of Australian captains Ricky P on ting, George Bailey and Tim Paine.

Earlier this year a business case, which was completed by the AFL Taskforce, showed an initial $11m investment in a Tassie team by the state government could lead to a return of $110m per year and 360 new jobs.

The coronavirus crisis has forced major competitions across the world to re consider their structure and AFL is not immune to that. The AFL has tried to expand its footprint across the country but it cannot do it while losing ground in one of its home states. Tasmania has had enough. We’ ve had enough of the millions of dollars being poured into the Gold Coast Suns and the Greater Western Sydney Giants while Tasmania gets a pittance.

We’ ve had enough of providing the code with some of its greatest legends while the AFL turns away and expands into foreign territory, leaving Tasmania to languish.

If the AFL wants our coin, our passion and our talent then it has to give our state a team in its premier competition.

It is absolutely the time to draw a line in the sand and to tell the AFL that it needs to look after its grass roots in Tasmania.

We need commitment. We need a pathway.

Or else we’ll be pushing our kids to pursue other sports — codes that will reinvest in us.