Should Tasmania have an AFL team?

[Hotdog60]

18 teams is about right and North should provide the team.

[bornadog]

18 teams is about right and North should provide the team.

why North? Why not Hawks or Saints? Saints are in huge debt, North are debt free

[Flamethrower]

Sounds like Gil has been watching too many Kevin Costner movies..."If you build it, they will come".

[josie]

Why not make it that every team plays in Tassie once in a season or similar? Tassie fans deserved a team before GC and GWS.

[Hotdog60]

why North? Why not Hawks or Saints? Saints are in huge debt, North are debt free

No particular reason only they have already half moved there. I would also consider the Hawks and I think the Saints are safe because of where they are located.

No malice intended but when they shipped out South Melbourne I would have thought North was next to go. That's purely on that Melbourne only has one team with Melbourne in their name.

[GVGjr]

As much as I would like to see a Tasmanian team I have my doubts it would work

Tassie need an effective state league that underpins a state team. 10 teams at least that are correctly funded not the 7 that they have in place now. A friend of mine believes they all need an extra 200K to run their clubs. So there is 2M a year the AFL would need to stump up to get this competition right.

Geographically the state is too big because if it was just an hours drive between Hobart and Launceston they would be able to appeal to both cities.

I also wonder if they would have trouble keeping young players there because we know the Suns do and they have fantastic weather.

The club would need significant investment and I doubt the AFL is still in a position to prop up a club for a lengthy period.

19 teams would have a very disjointed competition. Is there enough AFL standard players to accommodate a 19 or 20 team competition?

[azabob]

19 teams would have a very disjointed competition. Is there enough AFL standard players to accommodate a 19 or 20 team competition?

I'm not too fussed either way if a team is in Tassie or not.

I's question if we have enough standard players to accommodate 14 team.

[Grantysghost]

Talent is already spread too thin.

Move Suns there maybe

[GVGjr]

Talent is already spread too thin.

Move Suns there maybe

The Suns are showing signs of belonging. They've had problems with player retention but they seem to be over that now. A move to Tassie would probably start that up again.

[Grantysghost]

The Suns are showing signs of belonging. They've had problems with player retention but they seem to be over that now. A move to Tassie would probably start that up again.

Fair point. I just hate the idea if 19 teams for a start because you can be sure that means 20 as they'll not want byes.
The talent is spread so thin already.

[chef]

They are already slowly ruining the game(stupid new rules and paying ridiculous free kicks), diluting the quality of football further with another team is just madness.

People are already voting with their feet(and bums) towards this product. Worrying times for the league.

[boydogs]

Weather is an issue in Tassie. For spectators if not players. The Cairns game needs to be at a certain time of year for the same reason. The new NBL team went crazy here but that was indoors and summer

[bornadog]

Weather is an issue in Tassie. For spectators if not players. The Cairns game needs to be at a certain time of year for the same reason. The new NBL team went crazy here but that was indoors and summer

Need the new stadium to have a roof

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Why not make it that every team plays in Tassie once in a season or similar? Tassie fans deserved a team before GC and GWS.

Sadly the AFL’s lucrative National TV rights requiring two teams in Queensland and NSW was the major factor in denying Tasmania access. The decision by the Tasmanian Government to sponsor North and Hawthorn for a total of 20 million dollars has been provided to the detriment of local Tasmanian football which is now at a very low ebb. GWS was given $80 million dollars by the AFL in its first two years of commencement, with huge draft priorities leading it to play in 5 final series in the past 8 years.
It would be a huge surprise that the AFL would now do something similar to Tasmania given the opposition by other Club Officials opposed to a 19th Club in Tasmania