TIM Lane's article "It's time to unleash sports-mad Tasmanians on the AFL" (The Age, March 6, 2007) is a continuation of his understandable attachment to his home state, full of emotion, but lacking reality and financial rigour. Lane's views are not new, and represent a wonderful concept, but the consistent missing ingredient over many years has been that, if it was possible to do, it would have been done, long ago. Tasmania would have its own football team.
Sadly, there are too few companies in Tasmania of a size that would contribute significant financial support to a Tasmanian team. The reality is those companies cannot justify such an expenditure; they have been asked and have declined.
Secondly, there are too few corporates that would require of a local club corporate hospitality, which would add to the viability of a Tasmanian team.
The second option of relocating an existing AFL team from Victoria to Tasmania has had some support, including that most recently from Sunday Age columnist Michael Voss. The relocation would require a complete relocation from a Victorian team to Tasmania, meaning players, their families, administration and their families.
All home games would have to be played in Tasmania and, assuming this means 11 home games, they could be split between Hobart and Launceston. Aurora Stadium accommodates 22,000, while Bellerive Oval would need considerable work done on it and accommodates only 15,000. The relocated club would never have a gate above 22,000 without there being substantial extra works conducted.
The third option is what is taking place now where a Melbourne club — Hawthorn — which has had a genuine attachment with Tasmania over many years, has entered into an arrangement to play four home games in Launceston.
This provides an affordable option for Tasmania and one that will deliver positive outcomes over the next five years.
Hawthorn is not just visiting Tasmania four times a year: we have employed officers in the state, conducted a pre-season camp in Tasmania and are attempting to enter the state's lifeblood.
The opportunity for providing leadership in securing a team within or for Tasmania has existed for years, but no one has done the work or, failing that, been successful in achieving that goal.
To finance an AFL team at the low end of the financial scale would cost approximately $25 million per annum. Let's assume a Tasmanian-based AFL team attracts $2 million through memberships (based on 25,000 members), $2 million gate revenue and merchandise of $1 million. Further assume the AFL's contribution for salary cap, etc, comes to $6 million. That's a total of $11 million, leaving a further $14 million per annum from other sources.
Even factoring in assistance from the Tasmanian Government ($10 million) and the AFL ($4 million), this new Tasmanian club, scraping by with $25 million as its financial base, would still not be competitive with any of the interstate clubs, nor with Collingwood or Essendon. But at least it would be on the field.
If Lane feels as strongly as he does about a Tasmanian team, I suggest he puts that passion to work, develops a business plan and heads a group to make it happen. Meanwhile, we at Hawthorn are doing everything we can to give Tasmania a real connection within the AFL.