The AFL Commission and the Tasmanian Premier, Will Hodgman met today and agreed on a joint program to develop and support Australian Football in Tasmania.
The AFL Commission heard a report from AFL Tasmania about the challenges and opportunities, and has agreed with Government to deliver an investment plan for developing and supporting junior, community and elite football in the state.
The AFL Chairman, Mr. Mike Fitzpatrick today formally thanked the Premier, the Tasmanian Government and the Tasmanian public for their continued support for Australian football which has helped take the number of AFL games from one in 2001 to a new high in 2015 of 7, with 65 games in total played over that period.
Mr. Fitzpatrick also noted that AFL football had never had a stronger presence in Tasmania than it does right now, a result of 15 years of consistent and increasing market presence and investment, and is in a healthy position to continue to embed and build this presence longer term.
The AFL Commission and the Government today agreed that for Australian football to continue to prosper there needed to be a commitment to, and investment in what has been a stronghold of the game for 150 years.
The Commission and the Government today agreed that a working party will be formed to develop and test specific Tasmanian recommendations from the AFL’s Future Directions of Football project.
The aims of the working party will be to develop recommendations including:
The working party will also develop an understanding of:
The full structure and composition of the working party will be determined and announced in the near future.