TASMANIA

FOOTBALL
STEERING
COMMITTEE
FINDINGS JUNE 2018
TA S M A N I A F O O T B A L L
S T E E R I N G CO M M I T T E E F I N D I N G S
TEAM TASMANIA
Dear Tasmanian football followers,
Since the announcement of our
steering committee in March, and
our work with a diverse group of
stakeholders across the state, it is
clearly evident there is extraordinary
passion for football in Tasmania.
Footy is a vital part of the community.
More than 115 clubs, 16 leagues, 41,667
participants and in excess of 27,000
boys and girls are playing the game
in some form.
However, it is also clear there are
some challenges.
In order for footy to prosper in one
of our founding footy states,
we need help from the Tasmania
football community to help create
the solutions.
This needs to be a team effort.
I would like to acknowledge the
members of the steering committee
who have dedicated themselves to
ensuring they have been equipped
with the right information to deliver
these solutions:
33 AFL Tasmania CEO Trish Squires
Carlton coach Brendon Bolton
33
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan
33
Former St Kilda captain
33
Nick Riewoldt
AFL Head of Game Development
33
Robert Auld
AFL National State League Manager
33
Simon Laughton
AFL Head of Talent, Education and
33
Projects Tristan Salter
AFL Talent Competitions
33
& Operations Manager
Marcus Ashcroft
AFL Club Strategy Lead
33
Andrew Gennai-Garino
Additionally, it is important to
recognise the many participants
that were part of the process,
including the Premier of Tasmania
Will Hodgman, Tasmanian Football
Council chairman Paul Reynolds
and the seven TSL presidents.
The steering committee had a clear
vision as to what it wished to achieve:
Tasmanian talent competing at
33
every level of the game
More children – girls and boys –
33
playing our game
Robust, sustainable community
33
football that Tasmanians can
support in their towns and regions
Throughout the process, we identified
some significant pressure points that
need to be corrected:
33 The need to increase funding on
talent development, participation
and junior football
33 There was a fractured talent
pathway for boys and girls
33 Community football is under-
resourced, affecting the ability
to grow participation
Challenges need to be addressed
now, and in the long term, for the
betterment of footy at all levels in
the state.
Over the next three years, our vision
is to rebuild and ignite a TEAM
TASMANIA union.
The AFL will deliver an additional
investment of $1.4 million into
Tasmanian Football in 2019, with
extra funding to be committed in
2020, 2021 and beyond.
The changes must start at a
community level, the foundations
that grow the number of Tasmanians
participating in our game. We will:
33Create three Football
Administration Hubs in the South,
North and North-West of the
state, to support local leagues
and clubs, reducing the burden
on community volunteers and
improve participation programs,
competitions and talent pathways;
and
33Establish affiliation agreements
with community football leagues
and associations to enable a
consistent and integrated approach
to governance, support and AFL
funding across the state. By being
affiliated with AFL Tasmania,
it delivers the clubs Sports TG
support, JLT Insurance coverage and
gives players an opportunity to be
selected in the AFL talent programs.
The Tasmanian State League
will remain the premier competition
in the state and will continue to
receive AFL funding. The clubs
have committed to working with
community football within their zones.
We will also revitalise our talent
pathways to ensure all Tasmanians
participating in the game have the
best possible chance to be drafted
into the AFL and AFLW. We will:
33 Extend the Tasmanian youth talent
pathway from under-12 through to
under-18, provide more opportunities
for involvement in intrastate
competitions and state selection,
and remove player levies to ensure
broad access and affordability;
33 Establish a state-wide
representative team to compete
in the TAC Cup in 2019, supported
by a full-time coach and regional
coaching groups, allowing young
Tasmanian talent to develop
from all regions to compete at the
highest level across a full season;
33 Grant a provisional licence
for a standalone state-wide
representative team to compete in
the VFL in 2021, to enable senior
talent from across the state to
compete in a high-quality and
sustainable state league program;
and
33 Increase our investment in female
talent, including the establishment
of a TAC Cup Girls program, to
provide girls the same level of
opportunity as boys and support
the North Melbourne Tasmanian
Kangaroos AFLW team.
We will bring all of this together
through an Advisory Board,
representing all regions of the
Tasmanian Football community,
to work with the AFL to develop the
TAC Cup and VFL operating models.
We also want a name that all
Tasmanians can own, stand united
under and be proud of.
All Tasmanian representative teams,
from junior participation and talent
pathways through to the selected TAC
Cup and VFL programs, will sit under
the one TEAM TASMANIA banner.
The name is to be decided by the
Tasmanian public.
Today is a step in the right direction.
We won’t let Tasmanian football go
without.
The passion needs to be harnessed
and the time is now to unite.
I, along with AFL Tasmania CEO Trish
Squires, will ensure the right structure,
resources and investment will be
provided to ensure all Tasmanians –
men, women, boys and girls – have
every opportunity to play footy.
Gillon McLachlan
Chief Executive Officer
Australian Football League
 Establishing a team for Tasmanians to own and support across TAC Cup and VFL –
VISION
underpinned by a sustainable, integrated and supported Tasmanian football community and
reinvigorated pathways for Tasmanian talent to play at an elite level in the AFL and AFLW
 TA S M A N I A F O O T B A L L
S T E E R I N G CO M M I T T E E F I N D I N G S

VISION FOR FOOTBALL IN TASMANIA

KEY PILLARS
TO DELIVER
1  rive a vibrant
D
football community
to grow the
2  rovide the best
P
pathway for youth
talent across the
3 Provide the best
pathway for senior
talent across the
participation base state to be drafted state to be drafted
to AFL/AFLW to AFL/AFLW

ACTIONS / DETAIL League support –

33
establish affiliation
Integrated youth talent
33
program – regain control
Men’s – a standalone
33
VFL representative
model and regional from U12-18 and run program; target entry
competition hubs through AFL Tasmania in 2021
Junior participation
33 Full-time participation
33 Women’s – additional
33
– rebuild baseline in TAC Cup Boys in funding into female
participation through 2019 – with coaches talent, youth to
Auskick and schools and talent managers senior, ensuring
TSL – focusing on
33 supporting in each region strong connection and
community engagement Additional female
33 participation in the North
and participation in talent resource and Melbourne Tasmanian
their zones participation in TAC Cup Kangaroos team
Girls from 2020
TA S M A N I A F O O T B A L L
S T E E R I N G CO M M I T T E E F I N D I N G S

FUTURE ARCHITECTURE
FOR FOOTBALL IN TASMANIA
VISION Establishing a team for Tasmanians to own and support across the TAC Cup and VFL – underpinned by a
sustainable, integrated and supported Tasmanian football community and reinvigorated pathways for
Tasmanian talent to play at an elite level in the AFL and AFLW.

Vibrant Football Community Best Talent Pathways

OUTCOMES
One team for
✔✔
Region South North NW State-Wide Tasmanians to own
and support across
TSL State League Program TAC Cup and VFL
VFL Rep. Team competitions
More Tasmanians
✔✔
Senior TSL clubs supporting development of playing at an elite level
Football senior clubs/leagues in their zones
TAC Cup Program in AFL/AFLW
Boys Rep. Team and Parity restored on
✔✔
Junior TSL Clubs supporting development of Girls Rep. Team (both full-time) ratio of youth to senior
Football Junior Clubs / Leagues in their zones participants
(now 0.74 : 1)
Region Hubs – Participation,
33 U12-U18 Integrated AFL All regions in Tasmania
✔✔
League Competitions and Talent Managers Talent Pathway & NMFC appropriately
Support Next Gen Academy resourced, supported
League affiliation with AFL Tasmania
33
and sustainable

Junior Participation Programs – Auskick, Schools

ACTIONS / NEXT STEPS
TO IMPLEMENT
 rive a vibrant football
D  rovide the best pathway for
P  rovide the best pathway for
P
1 communityto grow the 2 youth talent across the state 3 senior talent across the State
participation base to be drafted to AFL/AFLW to be drafted to AFL/AFLW

TSL Premier Competition in state

33 Establish an integrated, AFL-run
33 Prepare for entry into the VFL
33
– TSL clubs working with community youth pathway from U12-18s – by 2021 –building list depth
football in their zones to grow including participation in U16-17 through TAC Cup entry in 2019
participation, increase capability and National Carnival and U18 TAC Cup Ensure sustainability –
33
drive retention Boys from 2019 mirror Frankston VFL
Establish Affiliation Agreements
33 Appoint a Talent Manager
33 licenceapplication
with independent leagues in each region to ensure sustainable and
and associations – to improve Invest in coaching resources
33 competitive team
connections and collaboration across state – full-time coach of Implement female programs
33
Implement Regional Competition
33 talent program supported to ensure best possible
Hubs with AFL funding – supported by regional coaching groups pathways
by a structure of Participation, Further increase
33
Competition and Talent Managers in female talent resources
each region and target U18 TAC Cup
Continue to grow baseline
33
participation to get back to parity
of youth teams to senior teams
(0.74 : 1 today) – Auskick and schools
TASMANIA FOOTBALL Chris Fagan Tristan Salter
STEERING COMMITTEE Brisbane Coach AFL Head of Talent,
Nick Riewoldt Education and Projects
GIllon McLachlan
AFL Chief Executive Former St Kilda Captain Marcus Ashcroft
Officer Robert Auld AFL Talent
AFL Head of Competitions &
Trish Squires Operations Manager
AFL Tasmania CEO Game Development
Simon Laughton Andrew Gennai-Garino
Brendon Bolton AFL Club
Carlton Coach AFL National State
League Manager Strategy Lead