Tas AFL bid talk begins again

[The Prototype]

It seems some in the local press, and parliament down here believe that Andy D was the man standing in the way of a Tasmanian AFL side and there is a belief the team could be closer to a reality now that he's standing down.

I believe there are a few factors that aren't involving the AFL that have hindered our AFL bid, but maybe the next bid will be better with local football hopefully in a better position.

So will Andy D going change anything? I am not sure...

[stui magpie]

It would be nice to see, but Tassie isn't a strategic market. It was a no brainer to get a 2nd team in each of Sydney and Brisbane/Gold coast area because of the population and also to compete with Rugby.

Problems with Tassie is the size of the economy (not big), population to get TV market share (not big) and the old North South divide which will screw a team before it starts.

The last one is potentially the mos significant, get over that and you never know. Personally I'd bet on an NT team first.

[The Prototype]

[ronrat]

Arelocated team would be the only option. North Melbourne could be the one. Perhaps play all their home games against interstate sides there and a few others like Bulldogs and Saints.

[The Prototype]

Western Bulldogs were on the list of clubs AFL Tasmania wanted to play at Bellerive, but AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou rejected Bellerive back in the day. Of course nothing had changed since that rejected and the Roos playing in Tasmania....Considering all the upgrades happened before the first rejection.

St. Kilda tried it in Tasmania, weren't well received they could try Hobart, but not sure that many would care.

[John Wren]

st kilda could end up in nz for all we know and care. stui's summation of the situation is quite accurate.

i would only want to see a team in tassie once the competition has embedded itself in the growth regions. without taking it for granted, tassie will long be an afl state.

[The Prototype]

Football in Tasmania is dying, needs someone to come along and find a fix soon rather than later. Soccer in this state has gotten their act together and formed a league without any bitching, infighting and threats lies, etc.

Time for someone to take control of AFL Tasmania and quick, because in 10 years there could not be any football left here to worry about.

[John Wren]

interestingly, tonight nmfc changed their constitution so that a 75% of the members need to approve any relocation or merger.

[Dr Pie]

I don't think it was just Andy D. I attended a talk Benny Gale gave to a Footy Almanac lunch back when he was head of the Players' Association. As I'm sure you know Prototype, Gale is a Tasmanian but he defended the AFL decision to go to Western Sydney ahead of Tassie on the basis that every TV set that is likely to be tuned to AFL in Tasmania already is tuned to AFL whereas there are a million TV sets in Western Sydney that could be watching AFL but are not yet.

This appears to be the position of all the opinion makers in the AFL. It is of course bullshit because although there may potentially be two million AFL fans in western Sydney right now most of them are either watching Rugby League or Soccer and they will probably continue to do so in the future. If you take Benny's argument to its logical conclusion instead of the AFL promoting Aussie Rules in Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa where there has been a little interest the AFL should promote footy in China where they has been no interest but there are a billion TV sets.

I would love to see an AFL team in Tasmania (so long as it isn't Collingwood) but to get it you will need to change AFL corporate group think and that will require more departures than just Andy D.

[qldmagpie67]

It would be nice to see, but Tassie isn't a strategic market. It was a no brainer to get a 2nd team in each of Sydney and Brisbane/Gold coast area because of the population and also to compete with Rugby.

Problems with Tassie is the size of the economy (not big), population to get TV market share (not big) and the old North South divide which will screw a team before it starts.

The last one is potentially the mos significant, get over that and you never know. Personally I'd bet on an NT team first.

Stu agreed with some of th stuff but I'm sure they would pull a crowd equal too or greater than GWS the suns and lions most weekends.
I'm a Queenslander and love seeing my team play here and I'm sure Tasmanians would be equally excited.
I believe take the game to where people love it not try to transplant it into areas that don't want it.

[Big T]

When they count the official crowd number in Tassie do they consider both heads separately or as one being?

[John Wren]

I don't think it was just Andy D. I attended a talk Benny Gale gave to a Footy Almanac lunch back when he was head of the Players' Association. As I'm sure you know Prototype, Gale is a Tasmanian but he defended the AFL decision to go to Western Sydney ahead of Tassie on the basis that every TV set that is likely to be tuned to AFL in Tasmania already is tuned to AFL whereas there are a million TV sets in Western Sydney that could be watching AFL but are not yet.

This appears to be the position of all the opinion makers in the AFL. It is of course bullshit because although there may potentially be two million AFL fans in western Sydney right now most of them are either watching Rugby League or Soccer and they will probably continue to do so in the future. If you take Benny's argument to its logical conclusion instead of the AFL promoting Aussie Rules in Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa where there has been a little interest the AFL should promote footy in China where they has been no interest but there are a billion TV sets.

I would love to see an AFL team in Tasmania (so long as it isn't Collingwood) but to get it you will need to change AFL corporate group think and that will require more departures than just Andy D.

last night i was speaking to a mate from penrith. he and his mates jumped on the gws from the start. he made a point of saying it was a team that represented his area. i think we'll find that gws will get terrific tv viewership and the crowds will come when they do string a few games together and it is seen as the "in" thing to do in sydney.

[The Prototype]

An AFL side in Tasmania is back on the lips of many in Tasmania after Andrew Demetriou decided this season was going to be his last. However, it would appear that it's not just local media and Tasmanians that are discussing the potential of an AFL side in Tasmania.

It's been suggested by The Mercury's Sunday Tasmanian that a Tasmanian AFL bid is back on the agenda, the bid is reportedly shrouded in secrecy but local media suggests the bid has been discussed between AFL and AFL Tasmania.

The new bid would see a unified Tasmanian side play in Hobart and Launceston, something the Tasmanian VFL side tried to do. However, failing crowds in both Launceston and later Hobart saw that impossible to maintain.

It's believed also that a report is being prepared that will look at the social and economic impact of an AFL team on Tasmania, it's suggested that the team for all Tasmanians. Tasmania has had many failed bids for an AFL side stretching back to the early 1990s the reason for the failure has always been blamed on the "North-South divide" but the new side would look to embrace every region of Tasmania.

http://thesportsasylum.sportsblog.com/p ... ld_be.html

This is my article, there has been some reports of meetings with AFL HQ about a team in the future, as AFL Tasmania becomes controlled by the AFL.