Statewide League 2008

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Duff TV

Duff TV

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Well no-ones posted anything so here goes.

I filmed around the traps on the weekend and couldn't help bring up the Statewide subject. Seems none of the clubs have been consulted.

Gee, is it a bit like how Howard came down, made a big announcement without consulting the players?

I'm personally divided. From where I sit its history repeating itself again. Lets not forget that statewide footy came about because at the time (1985) footy in Tassie was in need of a new injection of life.

It was good for a while and may have been here to this day if clubs had not gone so silly recruiting players like they did. To think Hobart's 1990 Premiership was made up of 10 or so interstate recruits!

But who really wants statewide footy? How the hell are clubs going to find enough people to run a reserves and 19's team along with a team on the bus to Burnie?

The problem at present really is the Devils are playing in such a high standard comp and its fringe players are part of comps that I imagine are not even close to VFL reserves.

It really struck me seeing Ken Hall strut his stuff for Nth Hobart v Brighton on the weekend. Now that guy is the best player in the state by a mile but it was just so obvious the difference in player standard.

So because AFL TAS is obviously going to force clubs into a revamped SWL, what is the model, how will clubs cope, do the players want it?

Interesting times ahead and lets hope in 5 years time we are not back again hoping the SFL or what ever it may be called will let the powerhouse clubs back in again.

Maybe the Premier League could just go 6 teams and the NTFL 8 so we cut the weaker clubs back to minor comps? I don't really know what the answer is but for the Devils to stay I think something will have to change.

Maybe lights at Nth Hobart Oval is the answer?
 
[Please bear in mind when reading this, that I no longer live in Tas and haven't for some time. As a result I am somewhat removed, but am calling it as I see it from afar.]

I do think this requires a thread of its own, as opposed to being hidden among the general "Taamanian Football" thread. Its probably the biggest change to the game in the state since the original folded and the Devils were conceived.

The model being reported doesn't have reserves or under-age teams. So, the travel isn't as big an issue as in the past. Personally, I don't have a problem with dropping reserves out - other than how it will imapct other leagues as players are in and out of their TFL club. Under age is another matter, if the idea is to build an elite competition then the best under-age players should also have such a competition. But cost could be prohibitive, perhaps the solution here is a regular dose of under age intra-state rep footy, a 3 or 5 game a year North v South series?

The big problem is that this is being done as a way of propping up the Devils on-field performance. That is absolutely the wrong reason, especially rememvering that the old league was dismembered to do two things:
- give Peter Hodgman an ego boost so he could claim the league he created was the best in the state
- let the board of (then) Football Tasmania get big heads through chatting with a few AFL people on a weekly basis through the Devils
OK, officially the Devils came about because there had to be something after the state league folded. It could have been salvaged, but wasn't.

Are the Devils required if there is a state league? Is it possible for both to survive? The old league had ABC TV backing, and the chance to get sponsors logos on the non-commercial network was worth more than its pure viewing numbers suggest. Everyone wants to advertise on the ABC, sports sponsorship is the only way. With Devils dominating the little media coverage there is of football below AFL level, especially the Mercury and ABC, would the revamped state league get any coverage? Would crowds regularly exceed 300?

And which clubs would want to join? It can't be more than 8 clubs if it is to be an elite competition. Its ridiculous to suppose Tasmania can have the Devils and more high level clubs than the SANFL or WAFL. Any less than 8 might be unworkable.
I would guess Glenorchy (who threatened to sue Football Tasmania when the old state league folded), Clarence, and North Launceston (Northern Bombers). But who else?
Burnie and Devonport would be invited back for sure. Would both accept? Assuming they do, two more Hobart sides and one more Launceston team is required.
Hobart? Well, probably not, given the shape they are apparently in.
North Hobart? Overspending at the start of the old state league sent them into trouble later on. Would they be prepared for another crack at it?
New Norfolk? Its hard to see the town having the resources to compete with larger population centres. Likewise with Ulverstone and Smithon in the north.
Scottsdale? Similar poopulation/finance issues to those other towns, plus they pulled out of the NTFL because of travel, they sure aren't going to want to go to Hobart every third week or so.
Launceston or South Launceston? There can only be room for one, and neither at their present grounds. Would either want to take part, given the trouble they had last time on and off field? (Which basically came down to the fact that the Examiner refused to acknowledge any club but North Launceston existed and crappy grounds that the ABC quite rightly tried not to visit, hence making it impossible for either club to compete for sponsors.)
So, Burnie, Clarence, Devonport, Glenorchy, (maybe) North Hobart, North Launceston are six potential starters. Where do the other two come from? Or is a 6 team comp enough? Play each other four times for 20 rounds?

And would all the best players decide to play in the top league? That was a real issue, especially on the north-west, in the old state league. Not having reserves helps, as the same amount of cash can be spread among fewer players, and lesser travel costs than with three teams, means greater average payments; which in turn should mean a slightly bigger incentive for players to play at the top level.

And then there's the issue of how to handle the reserves.

And then there's the NTFL and SFL, which would both need major restructuring if they lost four clubs each. Apparently the current proposal would see the death of the NTFL, with the NWFU reformed and north-eastern outcasts joining the NTFA. Interesting, as the old NTFA was merged into the NWFU because of the old TFL starting up and the NTFA losing half its clubs. (North launceston and East launceston initally, but East then merged with City-South). One major league in each of north and south underneath the state league is a much better option in my view.

In the south, things might be even worse. It used to be possible to be both a Lidisfarne and a Clarence supporter (as an example) as they played in different leagues. Then all of a sudden, people were forced to choose; then Lindisfarne went into the regional league when things were split. How will that impact going forward? Will Clarence, as used in that example, regain any of the support lost at that time?

I think a state league is necessary, if clubs are willing, to lift the standard of footy in Tasmania - and killing off ther Devils to get it back would not be a bad thing. But that second part isn't going to happen, which makes the first part precarious at best.
But clubs should be budgeting for a return to the days of 3000 people at a home and away game. The current 300 is more likely to continue to be the case.
 
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On the subject of which clubs for the Statewide League I can see Lauderdale becoming a very strong club over the next few years and beyond.

Their junior set up is strong and if they improve another 25% like this season they will play finals & and will start attracating the players needed to go further. They have the right people behind the scenes and only share the eastern shore with Clarence. Their ground is about to be revamped & mark my word they will be a force.

Clubs need to make the right decisions for the benefit of Tassie footy not just individuals. We are all in this together and must unite for the common good. Footy is better of than it was in the late 90's. Just needs another tweek in my view. The NTFL is in a worse position than the SFL with regard to lopsided games.

Something has to give.
 

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Duff TV said:
Clubs need to make the right decisions for the benefit of Tassie footy not just individuals. We are all in this together and must unite for the common good. Footy is better of than it was in the late 90's. Just needs another tweek in my view. The NTFL is in a worse position than the SFL with regard to lopsided games.

Something has to give.
Click to expand...
Clubs need to make an informed decision which won't happen with all the secrecy around the proposed changes and the exclusion of the clubs from the decision making process. Why weren't all clubs and leagues invited to the "forums"? Were only like minded people invited?
I can see AFL Tas coming out with their plan and a like it or lump it attitude as usual.
Funding will also be a problem, an extra $700,000 will go no where when the Devils have got their slice. The fitness trainer from Richmond that they are after, the recruitment of the big names that they want for next season and the extra cost of starting training in October will not leave much for the running of the State wide comp.
Before my attitude will change I want to see less secrecy, consultation with all leagues and clubs in the State(the changes will affect everyone) and a sound financial plan that shows the allocation of funds.
 
I'd like to see the statewide league back, but not in the same guise as before.

The way i see it is a salary cap would be set, and adhered to. The clubs books would need to be completely open.
Each SW team would have a reserves and unders side playing in the local league. That would mean the scrapping of reserves sides in the sfl and NTFL (or NWFU/NTFA) and the unders comp might be u21 or u23 with an exemption for some senior listed players. The spin off of no reserves is that this would bolster reginal comps. I would also envisage that SW clubs, or SFL or NTFL clubs might also be able to have listed players in the regional comps who they could also call upon.

The only problem with this set up would be clubs being split on playing days and the extra resources required. Fans might also have to choose which team to watch.

The statewide league might play on a Sunday however, and this might aleviate some problems, but Sunday footy isn't a concept i think Tasmanians have latched onto. However with some creative thinking, the concept of packaging up double headers etc. on Sundays might work.

For example Clarence might play North at York park on a saturday and this might also coincide with say North's reserves and unders playing say Scottsdale in the NTFA div 1. Same might go for say Nth Hobart playing in Burnie and Burnie play Wynyard.

Clarence and Nth Hobart might play in the SFL on the Sunday before a Devils match. On other days two sets of statewide teams might play on the Sunday before a statewide game, say the return matches above.
 
If the devils are to survive then something has to be done about local footy. as Duff said, the standard between vfl and local comps is ridiculous. after talking to cressa recently... he clearly is concerned at the standard of the sfl, and hasnt seen the regional league. but he said he can only imagine what it would be like.

i think people need to get over this whole travel thing though. i dont hear kermandie, huonville etc complaining when they travel to bothwell and triabunna. and from all reports the bus trips on the way back are quite a sight.

that trip would easily be over 2 hrs... the same distance from hobart to laun so this notion of no travelling is i believe stupid.

as mentioned the prob will come trying to decide on the underage comps etc, and whether players will put their hands up. u will either have the young kids looking to play at the highest level and maybe some of the older guys who would love to take on northern clubs again. then there will those who just want to go back to having a weekend kick.
 
The decision by Derbyshire to make himself unavailable for the Devils this week to qualify for Launcestons finals campaign raises another question.
Will players have to play a set number of games for their "feeder" club before they can play in the "feeder" clubs final games? Huge advantage if the club were out of the Statewide final but were in the mix in the "feeder" competition.
 
SDog said:
If the devils are to survive then something has to be done about local footy.
Click to expand...
If its done for the sake of the Devils, its done for the wrong reasons.
The question is whether the Devils are worth keeping. And that's nothing to do with their on field performance, but the drain they are on both the focus of the game's administrators, the finances and standard of game within Tasmania.
 
footy55 said:
The Mercury posted out a survey to all the premier league clubs i believe Eagle
Click to expand...

All premier league clubs? i myself did not receive any survey and mates at other premier league clubs are much the same.
Would like to know what teams. if any. did receive this survey?????
 
Talking to the Glenorchy senior skipper last week he said 10 players from each club where asked to fill out the survey.
 
warrane eagle said:
Just a quick one on statewide league in todays paper.
It said Hobart never responded to the survey? How was the survey distributed does anyone know?
Click to expand...
This doesn't surprise me, they're not at all professional in their outward dealings.
From what I understand, the club is not warm on the idea at all, and want no part of a statewide league, because in their own words, they 'would go broke in next to no time'.
On the Devils telecast on Saturday, Andy Bennett interviewed Scott Wade at halftime, and the basic pretext of what he was saying was that the league bosses (SFL, NTFL) were happy with the idea, and that it would be great for Tasmanian football and that it was an 'exciting time'.
Said that he expected that the new NTFA boss would be also excited with it, but hadn't spoken to him yet, and would catch up with him sometime soon.
Also reiterated that it would not be like the previous statewide league, would be a different set up to the old one of 1986-2000.
When asked by Bennett as to how to the clubs were receptive to the idea, Wade said 'we haven't spoken to the clubs yet, they'll be the last ones we talk to'.
 

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August 14th 2007: Let's Go Statewide
By Brett Stubbs - Link

Most Southern Premier League players want a return to a statewide league, but the exact format of any revamp greatly divides opinion

In an exclusive Mercury poll of 65 Southern Premier League players, 54 per cent voted to return to a statewide competition.
Players from all clubs were sent the survey, with only Hobart not responding.
Of the five proposed models, the favourite was for a return to a full statewide league with four teams from the North and four from the South, which received 29 per cent support, compared with the second favourite, six from the North and the South, with 20 per cent support.
Of the eight Premier League clubs, only Clarence and Glenorchy received 100 per cent support as southern representatives in a statewide league, though North Hobart was not far behind with 96 per cent, while Brighton and Lauderdale received just 16 and 12 per cent support respectively.
Interestingly, more players were in support of a return to a state grand final between the winners of the Southern Premier League and the NTFL than a return to a statewide league.
Nearly three-quarters surveyed (72 per cent) were in favour of a state grand final between the North and South premiership teams, while only 54 per cent supported the reintroduction of the statewide competition.
Players were also given the option of adding any additional suggestions to improve the standard of football in the state, and most centred on increased funding from AFL Tasmania to local football, and increased media coverage.
One player wrote: "Put money into local footy or a rejuvenated statewide league rather than pumping it out of the state to Hawthorn, who take the $15 million plus gate takings and everything else."
Another wrote: "Restructure the top end of AFL Tasmania with all positions reviewed and open to new people."
And another: "The clubs are probably getting on the right track with junior development but need more funding (if they receive any) and an increase in the salary cap for the Premier League to make it larger than the Regional League to stop players going back for money."
Other suggestions include Tasmania having its own AFL team, better umpiring, more North-South representative games, rebadge the Premier League back to the TFL, and more surveys like this so players can have a say.
 
I think it can work............ I want it back...... But surveying 65 players is not even anywhere near enough to give a true indication...
fact is clarence, glenorchy, north hobart and new norfolk and all certainties.. but where does that leave hobart and lauderdale who have good youth at the moment and are clubs on the up..... it will be interesting to see..... obviously some tough decisions and not everone will be happy.....
 
Being fortunate enough to film footy statewide I feel qualified and feel right in saying it should be 3 from the South,3 from Launceston and 2 from the NW.

Footy up North is of a better standard. Don't for a minute think its not. I have seen many more NTFL games than most on this forum and guys there is more talent up North and so with half the population up there it would make sense to go 3/3/2.

Just because the SFL beat the NTFL this year doesn't mean our comp is better. Fact is the players from 10>22 are better only by a bit but Nth Launy and Ulverstone would beat the lesser SFL teams by 70 points+ easily.

Let teams that don't go statewide stay in the SFL and have a better chance of winning flags. Isn't that what its all about?
 
I have heard from good sources that a Statewide League model being considered is quite radical compared to anything else which has been proposed on this thread.

It is along the lines of creating "new" regional representative teams. For instance, an Eastern Shore team which would be drawn from the best players from Clarence & Lauderdale, a Northern Suburbs team which would be drawn from the best players from Glenorchy, Brighton and New Norfolk and a Central Districts team which would be fed by Hobart and North Hobart. I imagine that it would also include a Southern Region team drawn from Kingston, the Huon and the Channel regions.

I am not privy to any further details of this proposed model and have serious doubts about how it could possibly work, let alone succeed, but I have been told that it has been seriously discussed.

This may also explain why the clubs have not been consulted to any degree as yet - because essentially aside from taking their best players - they are not really involved!!
 
If that model was to be used, I could see it being a disaster from day one.
They would be better off scrapping a state league concept and having a 3 (or 5) match SFL Premier v NTFL series than expecting any support for fabricated "clubs", from players or the populace. At least it shows some thinking outside the box I guess.

That said, i don't mind it so much for an under-age comp.
North-West, North-East, South (city, Kingborough, Huon, etc), and South-East (eastern shore, to Tasman Peninsula) playing home and away to give an elite comp underneath the Mariners. It would only be six rounds, plus a final if desired; and is still contrived somewhat in the south, but that doesn't matter so much at age level as its not going to get public support in terms of attendance and money anyway.
 
Kingpin said:
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August 14th 2007: Let's Go Statewide
By Brett Stubbs - Link

Most Southern Premier League players want a return to a statewide league, but the exact format of any revamp greatly divides opinion

In an exclusive Mercury poll of 65 Southern Premier League players, 54 per cent voted to return to a statewide competition.
Players from all clubs were sent the survey, with only Hobart not responding.
Of the five proposed models, the favourite was for a return to a full statewide league with four teams from the North and four from the South, which received 29 per cent support, compared with the second favourite, six from the North and the South, with 20 per cent support.
Of the eight Premier League clubs, only Clarence and Glenorchy received 100 per cent support as southern representatives in a statewide league, though North Hobart was not far behind with 96 per cent, while Brighton and Lauderdale received just 16 and 12 per cent support respectively.
Interestingly, more players were in support of a return to a state grand final between the winners of the Southern Premier League and the NTFL than a return to a statewide league.
Nearly three-quarters surveyed (72 per cent) were in favour of a state grand final between the North and South premiership teams, while only 54 per cent supported the reintroduction of the statewide competition.
Players were also given the option of adding any additional suggestions to improve the standard of football in the state, and most centred on increased funding from AFL Tasmania to local football, and increased media coverage.
One player wrote: "Put money into local footy or a rejuvenated statewide league rather than pumping it out of the state to Hawthorn, who take the $15 million plus gate takings and everything else."
Another wrote: "Restructure the top end of AFL Tasmania with all positions reviewed and open to new people."
And another: "The clubs are probably getting on the right track with junior development but need more funding (if they receive any) and an increase in the salary cap for the Premier League to make it larger than the Regional League to stop players going back for money."
Other suggestions include Tasmania having its own AFL team, better umpiring, more North-South representative games, rebadge the Premier League back to the TFL, and more surveys like this so players can have a say.
Click to expand...


i have it on good authority the reason only 65 players were polled was because a) the SFL didnt want the poll to go ahead, so b) mercury reporters had to do them over the phone. a couple of mates were called and asked to do it when supposedly all the coaches received the surveys and were asked to hand them out. half the clubs didnt want to take part.
 
Friday, 7 December 2007 The AdvocateNew State league spat - NTFL clubs, AFL Tasmania already in dispute over make-up of task force
By ANGUS LIVINGSTON
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AFL Tasmania and NTFL clubs are already at loggerheads over the introduction of a new State league.

The NTFL clubs have voted to take part in regional task forces set up to look at how the league would work.
However, their participation, which would be seen as vital in ensuring a smooth path to a State league, hinged on three conditions - with AFL Tasmania yesterday rejecting two of them.
 
roorat said:
Friday, 7 December 2007 The AdvocateNew State league spat - NTFL clubs, AFL Tasmania already in dispute over make-up of task force
By ANGUS LIVINGSTON
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He said AFL Tasmania general manager Scott Wade, who is currently on leave, had responded via email with a statement.
"He said `the regional task force is an AFL Tasmania appointed task force, and we will decide who will be appointed and who won't be'," Wotherspoon said.
Click to expand...

Statewide football what a joke .Our u/18 comp what a joke. These kids dont even play for 4 points when they play. Follow the SAFL & WAFL let their best kids play club football. I bet they dont have them rest them up so they dont get tired and weary like our ellite coaches do. NWFU NTFA TFL this is what will lift the standard of football. Get our best players and our best kids playing football for their town. And watch the standard grow. Oh our VFL side.Haven't they stuffed up there.They are the laughing stock of football all over Australia with people that follow the game. They know what they have to do there but no one has got the balls to do it.
 

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