Tasmania Tasmanian AFL Team, could it happen?

[aussierulesrules]

The AFL now owns a billion dollar asset in Etihad stadium in part thanks to us playing our home games there for a pittance for 16 years.

You're welcome.

 

[SgtSchulz]

The AFL now owns a billion dollar asset in Etihad stadium in part thanks to us playing our home games there for a pittance for 16 years.

You're welcome.

I guess its not really a criticism of St Kilda but a criticism of the AFL's argument against a Tasmanian AFL side.

 

[Substance]

It does look bad that Stk get so much more than the other etihad tenants, considering gill is a saints supporter. We've all been forced to sacrifice 16 years of match day revenue. Glad it's over now hopefully we get a fair deal

 

[Donakebab]

Why single out the Saints when every club is getting a reasonable sum from the AFL?

 

[Captain Morgan]

There is a fair bit of difference between the Saints and those at the bottom of the table.

Back on topic, OP has a very valid point. Just make the tassie government pay for a stadium upgrade and get it over and done with already.

 

[Strahany]

I believe a large portion of what St Kilda was given isn't an ongoing cost - it is a stimulus to get the Moorabbin redevelopment over the line. Such a stimulus is needed after the club's inability to turn profits as a result from the poor etihad deal (and some bad management). But it is also not a wasted cost - this not only goes towards developing a centre which will be utilised by local football alongside the saints, but also frees up the Seaford facilities for local football use further down the bayside region. Win/win.

 

[bzparkes]

It does look bad that Stk get so much more than the other etihad tenants, considering gill is a saints supporter. We've all been forced to sacrifice 16 years of match day revenue. Glad it's over now hopefully we get a fair deal

I vaguely remember reading a table last year that the Dogs got the most assistance of any team in the League...

 

[bzparkes]

Just out of interest, does anyone who supports the idea of a Tasmanian side actually live/has lived in Tassie before? It would never work.

 

[The_Wookie]

AFL say that Tasmania is unable to support an AFL side as it requires $50m of revenue to run one.

Meanwhile a Victorian club has a revenue of under $40m and the AFL is basically bankrolling half that...

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...n/news-story/c450f059c9436a8343b81636d0273c52

Well for a start it was 45 million.

Secondly most of the AFL distribution is its rightful handout from media rights, etihad signage/pourage, and afl memberships. This probably leaves about 5 million this year in "handouts" - much of which is required due to its current stadium deal, fixturing and a variety of other issues.

 

[The_Wookie]

I vaguely remember reading a table last year that the Dogs got the most assistance of any team in the League...

After 2014 it gets a little less clear as to who gets what for what reason.

 

[bzparkes]

WTF why does Sydney get so much?... Also, so much for the Saints massive handouts..

 

[The_Wookie]

WTF why does Sydney get so much?... Also, so much for the Saints massive handouts..

Whats not on the table is handouts from the last two years which were counted as the AFLs "disequal funding" or other assistance. This includes millions given to both St Kilda and Brisbane.

 

[bzparkes]

Whats not on the table is handouts from the last two years which were counted as the AFLs "disequal funding" or other assistance. This includes millions given to both St Kilda and Brisbane.

Ah true, I'm sure I read something at the end of last year saying the Dogs got something crazy like $8m from the AFL.

 

[Yellow Paint]

Tasmania already supports two teams.

 

[Nomad12]

They havent made a Tassie side yet because theyre too busy worrying about getting new fans instead of worrying about the millions they already have. It sounds like footy is already pretty big in Tassie and most would follow the AFL already so a team there doesnt expand the game like the AFL want and theres not much new money to be made for the greedy suits.

 

[Nomad12]

FWIW i think its bullshit and Tassie shouldve had a team before GC and GWS, frustrating that they seem to concentrate more on all these imaginary millions of fans they are going to get over the fans that are the reason its as big as it is now.

 

[Whowants2know]

Tasmania already supports two teams.

No we don't

 

[catstorm]

T

FWIW i think its bullshit and Tassie shouldve had a team before GC and GWS, frustrating that they seem to concentrate more on all these imaginary millions of fans they are going to get over the fans that are the reason its as big as it is now.

the problem is that Gold Coast matches the entire of Tasmania in terms of population in a far more condensed area and western Sydney is far larger.
Your talking 500,000 spread across an entire state there is no commercial growth opportunity in Tasmania.
If GC and GWS can get up and running they will be worth far more than a tassy team, regardless of who deserved it more.

 

[Underdog]

So because the AFL shell out millions to Victorian clubs, we should do the same for a Tasmanian club?

This would also weaken Victorian sides who have Tasmanian fans that would move to a local side, so Vic sides would need even more payments.

All this for a tiny market with no logical home base and no realistic prospect of growth.

Super idea guys...

 

[bzparkes]

As someone who grew up in Tassie I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that a Tasmanian team would fail if it wasn't propped up forever by the AFL. The state is too divided between north and south and if there was any time to actually introduce a Tassie team into the AFL it would've had to have been before Hawthorn started playing there. As it was, attending those early games you could see how many people supported West Coast down there when they played as there were usually more Eagles supporters at games than Hawks supporters initially but that's all changed now. Got plenty of friends who never followed footy who ended up supporting the Hawks and having won 4 premierships in less than 10 years would only consolidate that support.

Most people in Tassie support an established team in the AFL anyway and being such a strong football state I really can't imagine people dumping their old team in favour of a Tassie team, at least not enough to support a new team financially. There's a whole raft of questions that would need to be answered, however the following would be the biggest issue in my opinion;

• Where would be their home ground?

Launceston would be fine but it's such a small town that I really don't think any AFL players would want to reside there. Do you play out of Hobart? UTAS stadium is better than Bellerive although Bellerive would be fine. The real problem with playing out of Hobart is the fact that the majority of Tasmanians live in the northern part of the state and Tasmanians really, really hate travelling any further than they have to. People think nothing of hour long commutes to work when they live in big cities on the mainland whereas I know of people who haven't even travelled to Launceston from the west coast of Tassie their entire lives and you want the majority of these people to travel to either Launceston or Hobart every 2 weeks for a game of footy? Sorry, it's just not going to happen. 2 hours is a very long drive for a lot of people who grew up in Tassie if they've never lived interstate whereas growing up as a kid in Perth we thought nothing of driving 5 hours down to Denmark.

Tl;dr;

A footy team in Tassie is just not viable for probably the next 50 years and this comes from someone who grew up there for more than half my life and would love to see a Tassie team in the AFL, even if I never intend to support them.

 

[Dirty_banchez]

Just move a Victorian team to Launceston. A few years later move another Victorian team to Hobart. Problem solved.

 

[Trucker Tiger]

The main problem for any Tassie team is player retention.

 

[my name was taken]

I also don't want to see the ball doing boomerangs in the air.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

The worst performing clubs aren't the benchmark for new entrants.

 

[Prudster]

Why would we want to add more poor clubs with almost no chance of being self-sufficient?