TAS Tassie... happening?

[madmug]

Some like to use the emotive word cull. Their surely their is a difference between state level football & running a national competition.

I note some well established clubs have huge %ages of their budgets reliant on AFL handouts. Its easy to check out. That may be ok for newer & developing clubs, one can & some often debate this. But for 100 year old clubs, that surely is not a good position to be in year after year?.

However draining Tasmania & Vic Country year after years is ok?

 

[STANTS]

Ok, no that's simply not true. The US counts their cities populations differently than what Australians do. To crudly translate it, they count their local councils whereas Australia counts greater metropolitan areas.

If Boston was in Australia it would be said to have a population of about 5 million people. If Melbourne was in the US it would be said to have a population of about 140,000.

Don't underestimate how big the US is.

I have been to the United States three time. I have been to Boston and driven from Boston to New York. I have also been to nashville and there’s no way 1 size of the Victorian population lives close enough to Nissan stadium to be classed as having the supporter base of Victoria. I’m not underestimating the amount of people are being inflated by others who think for example Nashville is a big market it’s not.

 

[madmug]

I have been to the United States three time. I have been to Boston and driven from Boston to New York. I have also been to nashville and there’s no way 1 size of the Victorian population lives close enough to Nissan stadium to be classed as having the supporter base of Victoria. I’m not underestimating the amount of people are being inflated by others who think for example Nashville is a big market it’s not.

Bit off topic but Nashville metro is about 2 million people. The Titans did play in Memphis, metro of some 1.5 million, which is a 3 hr drive away. Tennessee has near 7 million people & the Titans are privately owned & play in a competition in which each club gets over $250million in TV rights annually.

So any comparison to anywhere in Australia is a waste of time.

 

[Teen Wolf]

The "North/Saints/Dogs are small, now give us our team" argument isn't as compelling as some people think. Certainly hasn't helped bring Tasmanian football a single step closer to getting an AFL license.

But it seems like some good people down there are starting to get serious and imo the league will look favourably on this developing bid, rather than just saying "sorry but your state had 100+ years to build a powerhouse and failed, you must be unworthy".

 

[Kappa]

Call me cynical, but had Tassie scored an A league team the AFL would be moving mountains to get one going already

Or they could just wait until the A league team died in a few years...

 

[madmug]

The "North/Saints/Dogs are small, now give us our team" argument isn't as compelling as some people think. Certainly hasn't helped bring Tasmanian football a single step closer to getting an AFL license.

But it seems like some good people down there are starting to get serious and imo the league will look favourably on this developing bid, rather than just saying "sorry but your state had 100+ years to build a powerhouse and failed, you must be unworthy".

One got pretty frustrated when the AFL (FitzdickheadPatrick) came up with pure shyte like making a point about the north-south parochialism in Tasmania. They encouraged it by having Hawthorn only play in Launceston & no games in Hobart for some 17 years!!. Infact 'parochialism' is the one thing which would ensure a team gets support. People will band together. People in Melbourne have even been known to go to the boxing day test when no Vics were playing. Wow isn't that amazing!! People here will support their own team.

However, people here get behind state teams of all types, just like everywhere else in the country. Its economics which tell you any team should play in both Utas & Boot park, moreso than any politics.

Sport is supposed to be a unifying force. Its the AFL & State politicians who have used it to divide this place. The Federal election shows that Libs disgraceful use of the AFL bid & Mona museum as some 'southern' plot.

None the less, a business case is being mounted. The AFL clearly dont want it nor care as the have done well bleeding this place dry. It'll be the combination of that committees efforts & the ending of the FIFO arrangements & the public pressure which might encourage the AFL enough to see a TasTeam in the AFL.

Remember the last AFL national poll saw a 79% support for such a team. So the real footy people support it. If that is ever a consideration.

 

[Pessimistic]

One got pretty frustrated when the AFL (FitzdickheadPatrick) came up with pure ***** like making a point about the north-south parochialism in Tasmania. They encouraged it by having Hawthorn only play in Launceston & no games in Hobart for some 17 years!!. Infact 'parochialism' is the one thing which would ensure a team gets support. People will band together. People in Melbourne have even been known to go to the boxing day test when no Vics were playing. Wow isn't that amazing!! People here will support their own team.

However, people here get behind state teams of all types, just like everywhere else in the country. Its economics which tell you any team should play in both Utas & Boot park, moreso than any politics.

Sport is supposed to be a unifying force. Its the AFL & State politicians who have used it to divide this place. The Federal election shows that Libs disgraceful use of the AFL bid & Mona museum as some 'southern' plot.

None the less, a business case is being mounted. The AFL clearly dont want it nor care as the have done well bleeding this place dry. It'll be the combination of that committees efforts & the ending of the FIFO arrangements & the public pressure which might encourage the AFL enough to see a TasTeam in the AFL.

Remember the last AFL national poll saw a 79% support for such a team. So the real footy people support it. If that is ever a consideration.

Beyond the fixture, the support for Hawthorn in Tassie by the AFL was lukewarm for at least a decade.

On the quiet the hawks also see their influence by promoting clinics etc for Kids in tassie as an investment not only in their future in tassie, but among the many young tasmanian adults who move to victoria for education and work reasons.

 

[Billy ray]

I think Tassie should be team 19 no doubt. And we have a bye situation. Big deal.
Each team can then play 18 games against all other teams once (in order such that no double ups until these 18 games are done!), and then play 3 teams twice for a total of 21 games.

 

[madmug]

Beyond the fixture, the support for Hawthorn in Tassie by the AFL was lukewarm for at least a decade.

On the quiet the hawks also see their influence by promoting clinics etc for Kids in tassie as an investment not only in their future in tassie, but among the many young tasmanian adults who move to victoria for education and work reasons.

Thats very kind of them.

Its called grooming I think.

I never saw them in Hobart except to fly in the Premiership cup & some pissed players for 2hrs to pick up their bonus cheque. Thanks heaps & goodbye.

 

[madmug]

I think Tassie should be team 19 no doubt. And we have a bye situation. Big deal.
Each team can then play 18 games against all other teams once (in order such that no double ups until these 18 games are done!), and then play 3 teams twice for a total of 21 games.

That would really put pressure on the smaller Vic clubs who cant really live without the big 4 Vic clubs. See the problem?

 

[boncer34]

Time to move North out. Their supporters treat Tasmania with contempt.

 

[madmug]

Time to move North out. Their supporters treat Tasmania with contempt.

The problem isn't the supporters of clubs. Its the conflicted & political AFL.

 

[boncer34]

The problem isn't the supporters of clubs. Its the conflicted & political AFL.

Read the Tassie thread on their board.

Their sense of entitlement is off the charts.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Read the Tassie thread on their board.

Their sense of entitlement is off the charts.

I don't blame them, they're losing home games. North belong in Melbourne and if I were a North fan I wouldn't appreciate the repeated speculation of the club moving.

 

[chiwigi]

I have been to the United States three time. I have been to Boston and driven from Boston to New York. I have also been to nashville and there’s no way 1 size of the Victorian population lives close enough to Nissan stadium to be classed as having the supporter base of Victoria. I’m not underestimating the amount of people are being inflated by others who think for example Nashville is a big market it’s not.

Nashville is a small market (still a metro are of 2 million though), but they are a state team (a state of 7 million and most have easy access to Nashville) based on an old franchise (Houston Oilers), so more like the Brisbane Lions than anything else.

As you will also know it is a hugely popular tourist area, which helps boost interest in general as well as bordering football mad states like Alabama and Mississippi that only have college teams.

Actually thinking about it Alabama would be the closest example to Tasmania in all this.

 

[Billy ray]

That would really put pressure on the smaller Vic clubs who cant really live without the big 4 Vic clubs. See the problem?

How so?

 

[Ando727]

OK then why don't we ask a Tas footy fan who follows a team in the comp now. If Tas had their own team would you follow that new team and would you jump ship from your current team?

Why do you think teams like Ade, Freo and WC all had the majority of sa and wa fans jump on board? Because they love footy and want a representative team, just like the Tas locals do.

You're being naive if you don't think a local Tas team will gain mega traction.

The traction will be strong. You can count me as one of the first who will switch to "first team" status if a Tassie team is announced - and that's coming from somebody who only recently moved here.

It's hard to describe, but being down here feels like it's very removed from Melbourne. I've followed the Dees for 35 years, and I felt my connection with them change when I moved to Tassie. I still love the club, but I rank other things higher now. I will retain a no-game membership with the Dees out of loyalty, but I'll be taking a full membership with the Tassie side, should it eventuate. That's how I can bring footy back into my life in a real and relevant way. I think most Tasmanians will be the same. There will be huge solidarity amongst the locals. I think the traditional support for older clubs will be all but dead within a single generation - I don't think many dads will lean on their children to support the traditional family club. It just makes sense to support the Tassie side you can see once or twice a month, rather than follow dad's club who you may see once a year, or never see at all.

To doubt this reality is to completely misunderstand the culture down here and how much we want our own representation - rather than being honorary Victorians.

 

[madmug]

How so?

Because if they play less games against bigger Vic clubs each year, then their gate over the year will be lower. That surly puts more pressure on their finances.

 

[Billy ray]

Because if they play less games against bigger Vic clubs each year, then their gate over the year will be lower. That surly puts more pressure on their finances.

Same could be said for my team. We have about 8k core fans and anywhere up to 5k casual. Any crowds in excess of that only happen when big vic teams come up. Our largest crowds have all been v the big teams.

 

[madmug]

Same could be said for my team. We have about 8k core fans and anywhere up to 5k casual. Any crowds in excess of that only happen when big vic teams come up. Our largest crowds have all been v the big teams.

I believe we would double that figure. So 16k-22k as a crowd to see GC, GWS, Port, Freo. I see the grounds being expanded to 30k as they would fill for the Vic clubs.

 

[Leeda]

It won't be long.. it won't be long.. they can't stand the pressure.. they can't find anything to say no.. and they will not want to bellow about
it anymore.. soon... soon...

 

[Carringbush2010]

To doubt this reality is to completely misunderstand the culture down here and how much we want our own representation - rather than being honorary Victorians.

This is exactly what I'm talking about, to those who doubt Tasmanians would get on board with a Tasmanian team you just need to look to Ade, WC and Freo......... to those fans those teams really represent their state and why not I say!

If HQ has any depth of knowledge they'll be smart and create an original franchise not relocate North or GC, no fan of any team or any Tasmanian wants that.

 

[Carringbush2010]

I note some well established clubs have huge %ages of their budgets reliant on AFL handouts

And? Those clubs in part created the revenue that is then handed back to them - so that is what still makes them viable you could argue.

The alternative to merge or kill off, cull, destroy whatever term you wan to use is to alienate at the minimum 40k members of one club not too mention the non member numbers at x3.

That's probably the reason these "chains" on the rest of the comp are still around, probably because they're still viable.

 

[Tandy]

Anyone from Tassie out there?
This North South divide people talk about, how real is it, and do you think for the sake of a team in Tasmania you could put your differences aside?

 

[madmug]

Anyone from Tassie out there?
This North South divide people talk about, how real is it, and do you think for the sake of a team in Tasmania you could put your differences aside?

Parochialism is about suburb v suburb, town v town, region v region. So it exists everywhere in this whole country. Everywhere else in Qld hates Brisbane, so?

Look at the NRL SOO, NSW v Qld. That is pure parochialism. Yet they all support the national RL team when it plays. We use to have SOO & state games like SA v Vic which united club people to support one team. Whats the difference??????

Carrying on about such things would have meant we never have gotten a state cricket team. Yet Launceston goes to watch the Hobart Hurricanes. How obvious is that?