Tasmania "deserves its own" AFL team, given the state's participation rates and general love of the game, but it cannot support one financially, AFL chief Gillon McLachlan has said.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Mr McLachlan said he backed Tasmania having its own team but not for at least the next decade.

"Tasmania deserves its own team. It just does," he said.
"Their participation rates, their ratings, their attendance, they are as passionate as any state in Victoria.

"Their numbers stack up with Victoria and in my view they deserve their own team."

But he said that was probably not a possibility anytime in the "foreseeable future".

"The brutal reality right now, the economy and scale and growth mean they financially can't support its own team playing 11 games," he said.
"You need $45 million. 

"What the model looks like down there in Tasmania is something we've had detailed discussions with the Government, the incumbent teams with the Kangaroos in Hobart and with Hawthorn in Launceston."

The State Government recently unveiled a $20 million package for Hawthorn to play five games in Launceston every year for the next five years.

North Melbourne is also chasing a five year extension of its agreement to continue playing in Hobart.

Mr McLachlan said he thought the current deals were sufficient for the time being.
"That's the one state that I think, as I look around Australia, we are happy with where everybody is," he said.

"I don't think Tasmania is quite right yet.

"I believe we have the right number of teams in the right slots for the foreseeable future, and the foreseeable future is 10 to 15 years."

One-team model could be 'economically sensible'

AFL Tasmania chief executive Scott Wade said he agreed that a stand alone team would be too expensive under the current circumstances. 

"I agree with Gill that right now I'm not sure our economy's strong enough to support $45-50 million to run an AFL team," he said.

"I think that the work that needs to be done now is for us all to work together, for all Tasmanians to work together.

"Obviously the Government [would] play a massive part in that, to work with the AFL to just look at what might be the best model to take us forward beyond 2022."

Mr Wade said it may then be time to look at having just one visiting interstate team playing in both Hobart and Launceston, rather than the current two-team model. 

"Perhaps a one-team model into the future might be a more economically sensible model for Tasmania rather than actually having to fund our own team that plays 11 games a year and is based in Tasmania."


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