19 teams?

[Ludwig]

19 teams?

Having lived in Tassie for 10 years, I knew Tasmania had a lot of problems that needed funding before they needed a new football stadium. But this article shows how bad things really are. Homelessness and a 50% illiteracy rate where particularly shocking.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/as-albanese-backs-an-afl-stadium-for-hobart-tasmanians-are-living-in-tents-20230428-p5d3yo.html

[SCGonasunnyday]

I’d love to be excited but the cynic in me just feels it will be another case of a struggling team being a feeder club for the big VIC clubs. Since 2006 it is what - two premierships to non-Vic clubs (2012/2018) and 14 to Vic clubs. That’s a fair trend and I think the introduction of GWS and GC has a lot to do with the recent dominance of teams like Richmond, Geelong and Melbourne who have been able to secure top line players from the newer teams who now look pretty far away from being contenders.

[Blood Fever]

I’d love to be excited but the cynic in me just feels it will be another case of a struggling team being a feeder club for the big VIC clubs. Since 2006 it is what - two premierships to non-Vic clubs (2012/2018) and 14 to Vic clubs. That’s a fair trend and I think the introduction of GWS and GC has a lot to do with the recent dominance of teams like Richmond, Geelong and Melbourne who have been able to secure top line players from the newer teams who now look pretty far away from being contenders.

Cray to introduce Tassie team with chronic problems with GC and GWS. Also stadium prerequisite and cost a disgrace given Tassie's social and economic situation. Albo of all people should no better. Sold us out with aukus and now selling Tassie people out.

[barry]

It's politics overdrive. Gill wants government to build roofed stadium ($2b). He build support for Tassie team to pressure government. Government offers way under at $280m. Gill now stuck with the decision to go ahead with GWS/GC v2 in Tassie, or pull the pin.

The AfL leadership was counting on a vunerable cash-happy Morrison government, instead got a powerful Albanese government who have out manourvered them.

[Jimitron5000]

Tassie is in. I'm excited about the team, less excited about the economics of it, particularly the cost of the stadium when the money could go to much more pressing concerns.
I reckon the locals will get behind it in a big way.

[barry]

It will be interesting to see if any poaching safeguards are put in place for northern clubs.

[KTigers]

The taxpayer pays for the stadium just like every other stadium in the country and the team will get a $20M to $30M distribution every
year from the AFL (just like St Kilda, North, GWS and GCS). The Swans distribution is around $10M to $12M most years BTW.
The money thing around them is nothing new.
I grew up down there so am probably a bit biased but I think it's a good thing. It'll be good for the place. They'll have MONA,
Barnbougle and a footy team. That's not so bad.

[barry]

I think it says that the AFL is prepared to fund uneconomic team's forever. They have said this in the past, but everyone assumed its only a matter of time before they get sick of funding norf, or they expect GC and GWS to one day meet their potential and be as solvent as the swans and lions. But Tassie is different. They have no potential, so will be uneconomic from day 1 to day dot.

The upside of this model is that Canberra Darwin, north queensland or even NZ are potential expansion places.

[barry]

Do Tasmanians Want A New Stadium? | Utopia - YouTube

[MattW]

Do Tasmanians Want A New Stadium? | Utopia - YouTube

So good.

- - - Updated - - -

I think it says that the AFL is prepared to fund uneconomic team's forever. They have said this in the past, but everyone assumed its only a matter of time before they get sick of funding norf, or they expect GC and GWS to one day meet their potential and be as solvent as the swans and lions. But Tassie is different. They have no potential, so will be uneconomic from day 1 to day dot.

The upside of this model is that Canberra Darwin, north queensland or even NZ are potential expansion places.

Where are you on GWS relocating to Canberra, barry?

[barry]

Bad idea (GWS going to Canberra).
But I'm not against Canberra having it own team eventually.
GWS's growth was tracking fine up to 2019. They would have been expecting a big bump up after the 2019 grand final berth.
Unfortunately they lost that badly, and then COVID ruined any chance of capitalising on the increased exposure.
Then free agency hit them hard, so their list is now mid table at best.
But you simply must have 2 team's in Sydney. Benefits the swans too. Swans put out all sorts of reasons why adding GWs was bad for them, and none turned out to be true.

[KTigers]

GWS to Canberra will just never happen. I'm surprised it's even mentioned. It took a decade to decide to put a team
into a traditional footy state. As Barry says GWS were hit very badly by Covid and all their momentum was lost.
And both Sydney teams were compromised by the removal of COLA. When you hear the presidents of both clubs
talk about that it's as if they are echoes of each other. It's not just the players they have to pay extra for. It's the
support staff, the physios, it's everyone and everything. Sydney is a very expensive town to live in. Ask anyone under
40.

[KTigers]

Basically the days of moving Sth Melbourne up to Sydney and having them train at Erskineville Oval and storing
the training gear in someone's car boot are over. These days it costs a few hundred million to set up a team and
that's after you've managed to talk a government or two into ponying up $500M to a billion dollars to build a
new stadium. Any new teams or moving a team is a long long way off.

[Ludwig]

Who needs bread when you have a circus.

[barry]

If Tassie can build a roofed stadium for under $500m, then Canberra should copy the plans