FFA said they are not in the market for 3pm kos
If they were I'm sure some other clubs would want some too.

Extra fixture probably means more Monday or Thursday night games (unless a WA team, which would give extra late fixtures)

I would've thought the extra game would be on Saturday night, one on Fox, one on FTA

To be honest other than when I was real young(20years ago) I've only really been following football heavily since WSW came in(used to live near Blacktown, still got relos there) but still never really felt connected to them hence why this is exciting for me, You've gotta have a team right? so I can't really say for the local scene all too well other than the NPLTas State LLeague gets just as much media airplay as our AFLTas State League does and the majority has shifted from kids wearing AFL gear and eggballs to seeing kids with football kits and round balls. I see more kids at my local kids school with football kits on than AFL jumpers, same goes in the shopping centre I work. My son is also old enough to play next year so hopefully that will give me more of an insight but the game is definitly growing.

There has definitly been coverage of this in the radio and the news and I assume the papers aswell(dont read them, our local paper here just regurgitates the previous nights news anyway).

People underestimate the potential this has. AFL is dying here, drip feeding games and funding to our local scene, pretty much milking us for players and only giving us the scraps in return. Throw in Hawthorn(to their credit) off their own backs started playing games here in the early 2000s and have done alot of work down here but are now being shafted by the AFL and on the way out because the AFL has brought North Melbourne down here because they can see the potential $$$ from the government and its money they dont have to fork out for the pooorer club. Of course the full blown one eyed AFL supporters can see no wrong in the AFL but deep down its ruffled alot of people(including the 10,000 Hawthorn Tassie members.)
In saying all that though, people speak of Geelong people being parochial but I believe Tasmanians are even more so. We'll back anything Tasmanian to the hilt, we know we're underdogs and we love it. Even if theyre not football supporters it'll still catch their interest.

Posters on here will probably smirk but to start with I'd be happy with averages of 4-5k against CCM/Newy/Nix with Sydney/WSW around 8k and even more for City/Victory with the rest somewhere in between.

North Hobart Oval would be good to start with but I'm not sure how you would go redeveloping it, its a beaufitul old ground and its the perfect location if you could but from memory I remember reading the neighbouring residents tried to get the council to can its plans to upgrade the lights from floodlights to proper lights for nighttime AFL.
The airport in my opinion is too far away from the CBD for a stadium, it is in the fastest growing area and they seem to be plonking everything out that way.
Best spot is Queens Domain by a mile. Its on top of a hill and can be quite windy but there is room to build there and its not far from the CBD at all with plenty of parking.


Thats what I was thinking for the Away but originally for the Home i was thinking reverse Green Shorts Maroon Sock but I like what you've said.

Just for abit of info the Tasmanian government just last year signed a deal with Hawthorn for 5years worth $19million dollars (plus a bonus of around $250k if they win the premiership) to play one preseason and 4 inseason games. The previous deal was $15million for 4years.

North Melbourne also recently signed a sponsirship deal with TT-Line(Spirit of Tasmania) for 3 games a year. Cant sure how much the new one is worth but the previous óne is worth $500k a game. TT-Line is a government owned company.

So the money is there and In my opinion the government will back it in one way or another whether its straight from them or 'sponsorship' from something they own.

Crazy, for a team that isn't even from their state, and for just four competitive games.

If they stumped up a quarter of that for their own A-League team (one million per year) it would just about get them across the line, even without Stamoulis.

Interesting.

Can we just add teams that would make for loose away trips? I'm pretty sure if Tasmania came in it would rival Adelaide away for us Vuck fans. 

More Cairns, Gold Coast and Geelongs and less Sydney teams with lock out laws thanks.

Good read, Hutch.

This is why I think a local  HAL team can blow the AFL out of the water at grass roots level, leading up to HAL level.

Local AFL clubs are really angry with the AFL hierarchy who they think do nothing for them.

Agree.

The article is full of crap except for the tasmanian community part, for reasons that dont need to be gone into on this forum - but nowhere does it say that the AFL thinks an aleague team would be successful.

hey wook is this part crap

But, as in other regions, more children in Tasmania now group up playing soccer rather than Australian football, and the AFL relies on them switching in their teens. 

Stadium wise I agree that Cambridge (as mentioned above) and probably Kingston would be potential sites that I would knock out  based on lack of proximity to the city centre.

For mine Bellerive, Sandy Bay, Domain area (whether at TCA, Cross Roads or Athletics centre), North Hobart, Cornelian Bay/Rugby Park, or KGV/Glenorchy/Elwick would be the "inner city" type locations that would be most suitable. As others have mentioned Hobart is very windy (including at this time of the year) which would make ground choice pretty critical as for all its positives the Domain area in my experience is one of the windiest  places I have played football, and they have copped some fierce winds while playing shield cricket at the TCA a very long time back.

If a rectangular stadium is 100% a necessity that makes things tough unless there is a heap of support through State Government.  Hopefully the Premier, while a keen cricket and AFL supporter, would have the vision to see great potential for other sports (in this case football) which would clear a lot of hurdles and help to co-ordinate with councils and sporting clubs with long standing use of existing facilities as needed.

Stadium wise I agree that Cambridge (as mentioned above) and probably Kingston would be potential sites that I would knock out  based on lack of proximity to the city centre.

For mine Bellerive, Sandy Bay, Domain area (whether at TCA, Cross Roads or Athletics centre), North Hobart, Cornelian Bay/Rugby Park, or KGV/Glenorchy/Elwick would be the "inner city" type locations that would be most suitable. As others have mentioned Hobart is very windy (including at this time of the year) which would make ground choice pretty critical as for all its positives the Domain area in my experience is one of the windiest  places I have played football, and they have copped some fierce winds while playing shield cricket at the TCA a very long time back.

If a rectangular stadium is 100% a necessity that makes things tough unless there is a heap of support through State Government.  Hopefully the Premier, while a keen cricket and AFL supporter, would have the vision to see great potential for other sports (in this case football) which would clear a lot of hurdles and help to co-ordinate with councils and sporting clubs with long standing use of existing facilities as needed.

Tasmania can be successful , FFA just need to embrace the region and the region will get behind it's A League team,  we have the lure of international matches in the ACL , the lure of televised games into major tourism markets around the world.
The Tasmanian government would be foolish not to financially back  a tassie side,  it gives them so much exposure in regions that aren't Victoria.
I think tassie ticks a lot of boxes for Ffa, it is another step in having the only true national football league Australia, tv  could have 2 Friday night games, 1 in Tassie at 7pm and Perth or Brisbane at 9pm , you could even get 3pm kick off in Tassie, it is rarely 35° their. Another lot of juniors to come through the region for club and nt.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/aug/06/ffa-cup-shines-its-light-on-tasmanias-proud-football-tradition

Here's a beautiful article from Joe Gorman about football in Tasmania from a few years back.

There's such passion for the game down here, it just needs to be tapped. When I was in school, football was by far the most popular sport to play, but you saw many kids jump ship to AFL in early high school- and that's the critical stage for FFA and FFT- keep kids from switching. A local team- the only team- would go so much towards that. 

Even from a small population, the Tasmanian cricket team has done magnificently well, and I think an A-League team can do the same. There's also a great sense of state identity and pride, and that will draw a lot of fans. 

For me, it'd be an emotional moment if we get an A-League team. Its something that I've wanted since I fell in love with the game very young, and I've but never had a team to truly support (apart from the Socceroos). To finally have a local team to watch, love, be happy, and even be sad with would he special. 

It'll also be wonderful to watch some of my friends I went through school with play, as some are very good and play very well in the state league. 

On the topic of coaching, surely Ken Morton should have some involvement with the club- the way he has established South Hobart as such a strong club with a  fantastic youth system  deserves him a spot in the club for sure. 

Lots of Tasmanians can be lured back, as growing up here gives you a special attachment to the place. Cisak, Jeremy Walker, Jerrad Tyson, Jesse Curran, Andy Brennan, Josh Hope, and the Olympia kid who went to South Melbourne,  these are all players we could hopefully bring home. Quality Tassie NPL players like Brayden Mann can also make the step up I hope. 

It's great to see such quality discussion in this thread. 

Kingborough Lions represent! 

Quality post, Angusozi, that's what it's all about!

Hopefully the FFA and the Tasmania Government are negotiating taking a Socceroo's match to Tassie at some point, perhaps an Asian Cup qualifier against one of the less popular countries.

I'm on record for giving massive BJs to the idea of Tasmania having an A League side. Yeah, I know, there are issues with finance and support levels, but I really believe it's an experiment worth giving a go. They barely have any teams down there in other sports and football has such a massive opportunity to create a legacy down there. Fuck Cahill's vi$ion - make football the #1 sport in Tassie. First step, get an A League club down there whilst they continue to be ignored by every other code. It'd also be the most filthy away trip.

You would think one of the airlines or travel agents should line up to sponsor Tassy United.They would make a fortune on weekend package tours every second week.

If this is part of a plan for the FFA to make the A -League truly national then I am all for it. I just think places like Wollongong and Canberra should be in the competitoon before a team from Tassie. 

We also have to accept that smaller clubs/ areas will be part of the A-league. Nothing wrong with that either. The league will grow because the A-league itself will be viewed with more credibility as more teams are added to the competition.

The only question the FFA should be asking is what do you want the final make up of the A-league to look like and bring them in accordingly. 

Some good points have been made in this post.

Good post.

http://www.themercury.com.au/sport/perth-glory-boss-urges-tassie-consortium-to-go-about-aleague-bid-in-strong-bold-manner/news-story/694e373ca057587dbca26db106c1d03c

Why does it have to be either/ or?

I've advocated a team from Canberra for some time.

What do you know about the football milieus in Canberra, Tasmania and Wollongong?

Have you been to all of these places and do you have a working knowledge to state that two are preferable to the other?

Hopefully this is part of an FFA move to make the game truly national and not just a Melbourne and Sydney duopoly, having an extra team in Sydney and Melbourne should be balanced by expansion elsewhere.

Hopefully the FFA have a plan and are working to include the likes of Wollongong, Canberra, Geelong and Tasmania

This bloke is a legend. The most underrated boss in our game. 

He follows Expand the A-League, so he's alright by me.

In the eyes of someone from Melbourne, which match would create a bigger rivalry?

MV/MC v a team from Tassie or
MV/MC v a team from Geelong

Obviously we know how the Tassie's feel, but is the rivalry reciprocated? 

Whilst no-one is doubting Tassie would be a great away trip, I feel that Geelong would provide the better rivalry because it's more accessible for all fans of both sides.
Meaning that when the Melbourne sides host Geelong, there is a formidable away presence for this game and likewise when the fixture is reversed.

I think you and I are mates off forum and only live a few kilometres from each other!

Interesting the support from this Glory stalwart.