The Bid for a Tasmanian A-League Team
Paul Williams
Every now and then the stars align in the most unexpected of ways and present an opportunity, unexpected as it may be, that is simply too good to refuse.
The bid for a Tasmanian A-League team is one such case for the Football Federation Australia (FFA).
Six months ago, when the idea of A-League expansion was still something mostly debated and discussed in the twitter echo chamber, Tasmania was a long way back. Some would say they weren't even at the start line.
Canberra, Wollongong, South Sydney, a second Brisbane team or even a third Melbourne team were all seen as more likely and viable options, especially after FFA seemed to rule out regional teams by declaring they want to "fish where the fish are."
But that is no longer the case. Tasmania is now the undeniable leader when it comes to the expansion options - "fish where the fish are biting" as Robert Belteky, on of the men behind the bid, says.
And they now present FFA with a choice that will tell us a lot about how they make their decisions - football or commercial.
There can be no doubt that Tasmania is one of FFA's least preferred options. They crave a South Sydney side, and probably a second team in Brisbane. Derbies, derbies, derbies seems to be their new mantra. In their eyes, derbies equal cash.
But Tasmania presents such a compelling case it will be hard for FFA to say no. Doing so could do irreparable damage to football on the Apple Isle.
When North Queensland Fury was unceremoniously dumped from the A-League in 2011 one of their most passionate fans claimed FFA had killed football in the region for at least a generation or two.
It's not too much of a stretch to say if FFA say no to Tasmania it will do the same in that state. How much of Australia does FFA want to alienate?
While FFA hasn't yet released their criteria for expansion, they say they will release it in February, it's fair to say Tasmania ticks almost all of the boxes one would expect an expansion team would need to tick.
Government support? Tick, tick, tick at both local, state and federal level.
Solid financial backing? Tick.
Stadium? Tick - with the state and federal government expected to fund a redevelopment of North Hobart Oval.
Community support? Tick.
Corporate support? Tick, if you believe the talk coming from the bid team.
Broadcaster support? Tick, again if you believe the talk from the bid team who claim Fox Sports are fully supportive of their bid.
That last one is particularly massive and could ultimately be what helps get the Tasmanian bid across the line.
FFA came in for criticism last week when it announced publicly that its TV partners would partly (or fully) dictate where the two new teams would be located.
If it is true that Fox Sports is supportive of a team in Tasmania, then it comes as one of the biggest declarations of support they've received thus far.
What FFA needs to keep in mind is that by opting for Tasmania it doesn't mean they can't also opt for their preferred options in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. In fact, you would expect those three would then be a lock to take the A-League to 14 teams in the next few years.
But their time will come, arguably only South Melbourne has a bid as advanced as Tasmania.
FFA cannot look this gift horse in the mouth. This is a once-in-a-generation, probably even longer, chance to take professional football to Tasmania and secure the future of football in the state.
If FFA is serious about growing football right across the country, and not just in the major capital cities, then this should be an easy decision for the FFA board to make.
This is Tasmania's time.
Copyright © Paul Williams and Soccerphile.com
Jason Hoffman - the most capped player in Newcastle Jets history
Buy tickets for soccer matches around the world