Review of Australian Football North-West Region, Tasmania

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1 June 2014 Review of Australian Football North-West Region, Tasmania Presented by: Nick Probert General Manager, Community Football AFL Tasmania

2 Background the Tasmanian Football Council Within a relatively short period of time the Tasmanian Football Council (TFC) will become the leaders of community football in Tasmania, in partnership with the AFL, through AFL Tasmania. The TFC is an entity which has been established by the NTFL (North-West), NTFA (North) and SFL (South), and endorsed by the AFL, with the specific intent to ensure that Tasmania s three regions have a more relevant voice when it comes to the future direction of Australian Football in Tasmania. The role of the TFC isn t anything to do with competition administration; the TFC is about community football leadership and influence in areas such as: Planning for the future Participation (protecting and growing the game) Talent identification, incorporating representative football Development and education Community engagement In 2014 AFL Tasmania will undertake separate reviews of the game in each region and then these three regional review reports will form the basis of the TFC s first Strategic Plan.

3 Executive Summary North-West Review Australian Football in the North-West region of Tasmania is secure. The game remains popular in terms of participation, public interest and community relevance. In fact open-age community club football is so strong that senior club football is ironically the area of the game which presents the region with its greatest challenges. Most respected and educated football people in the region are as certain as they can be that the North-West region cannot sustain the number of senior and reserve football teams moving forward. The North-West region has 40% of all senior and reserve football teams (men) in Tasmania; against the backdrop of only having 23% of the States population. In terms of the number of senior and reserve football teams, the North and South have 30% each. Our review recommendations are: 1. Define the NTFL s role as the peak body for community football in the region 2. Ensure the NTFL s brand is reflective of the region that it represents 3. Secure the future of the current NTFL competition by increasing the number of member clubs from six (6) to 8 and possibly 10 in the future (10 would be an ideal structure) 4. The current Leven Football Association to become a division of the NTFL 5. Establish, under the NTFL s banner, a junior and youth community club pathway structure of U/10 s, to U/12 s, U/14 s, U/16 s and U/18 s 6. Further to the above point, clubs other than NTFL clubs to be allowed to field teams in these regional junior and youth competitions 7. Develop an investment and education strategy for Australian Football in the region 8. Undertake separate reviews of the future of the game in the Circular Head and West-Coast districts

4 Recommendation 1: Define the NTFL s role as the peak body for community football in the region The leaders at the NTFL and AFL Tasmania must be fully committed to building and maintaining the strongest possible relationship with each other, while respecting that each entity will have different priorities All other North-West leagues and associations should affiliate directly with the NTFL The NTFL executive structure should become more inclusive of the game in the region; while still remaining solely responsible for administration of the NTFL competition The NTFL needs to immediately embrace the benefits of the junior and youth pathway in the region (while not locking out the inclusion of non-ntfl clubs) The NTFL should take the lead, and work cooperatively with the affiliates, on building the concept of a centralised competition administration model for the region Given the current structure of football at a regional level, it is important that the NWFA and DFA acknowledge the leadership role that the AFL (via AFL Tasmania) has encouraged the NTFL, NTFA and SFL to embrace and therefore the NTFL will be supported to become the legitimate leaders of football in the North-West region AFL Tasmania has no intention of creating another governance model that sits above, or outside, of the NTFL

5 Recommendation 2: Ensure the NTFL s brand is reflective of the region that it represents The Northern Tasmanian Football League (NTFL) clearly needs to change its brand given that its role no longer encompasses football outside of the North-West region Northern football is the role of the NTFA Perhaps North-West Tasmanian Football League (NWTFL)? Perhaps reverting back to the North-West Football Union (NWFU)? Perhaps something else? The decision of what the new brand actually is needs to be made by the NTFL, however, it should be formally endorsed by the TFC and AFL Tasmania The visual aspect of the brand doesn t necessarily have to change much at all the current colours and look of the NTFL brand could quite easily be retained and protected

6 Recommendation 3: Secure the future of the current NTFL competition by increasing the number of member clubs from six (6) to 8 and possibly 10 in the future (10 would be an ideal structure) The leadership of the NTFL has strongly supported Tasmania s State League competition, as have their counterparts in the North and South with all three advocating for a seniors only TSL competition Further to the above the concept of both Devonport and Burnie fielding a team in the TSL and other teams in the NTFL competition this sits relatively comfortably with AFL Tasmania Given the strategy is to strengthen and securing the NTFL competition by increasing it from 6 to 8 clubs, then offering Devonport and Burnie the first opportunity to re-join the competition makes logical sense Both Burnie and Devonport have indicated they will remain 100% committed to the TSL, whether they field teams in the NTFL or not Over the longer term the NTFL should be quite open to further expansion; ideally a 10 club competition with an 18 round fixture is an ideal structure

7 Recommendation 4: The current Leven Football Association to become a division of the NTFL The Leven Football Association (LFA) should be viewed by the region as an integral football competition model, i.e. a one team per club structure AFL Tasmania believes that now is the ideal time for the LFA and NTFL to get their heads together to form a new and reinvigorated seniors only competition for the North-West region A one team per club competition is in many respects both a protect and grow strategy protect clubs that may be struggling to field two teams in a competition and provide other clubs the opportunity to either reform under a one team model, or form a new club from scratch AFL Tasmania also believes the reinvigoration of the LFA is likely to be best served by becoming a division of the NTFL this may be too big of an ask for the LFA, more so than the NTFL, however, for the greater good of the game in the region we believe this initiative would be the most positive action to take

8 Recommendation 5: Establish, under the NTFL s banner, a junior and youth community club pathway structure of U/10 s, to U/12 s, U/14 s, U/16 s and U/18 s AFL Tasmania s leadership needs to leave no stone unturned to promote the benefits of this recommendation it is enormously significant and if embraced it will ensure that senior clubs can actually grow and prosper (rather than stagnate) The foundation of our game is kids and while school football and the Auskick centre (previously minileague) structures in the region remain relatively strong, there are significant benefits to senior football clubs if they embrace juniors as integral elements of the clubs structure examples are Lauderdale, Kingborough, Launceston etc. There is growing evidence that north west junior football structures do not provide equal opportunities for junior footballers to learn the game as effectively compared with the junior club structures that exist in other regions of the state. Further analysis will validate that the NTFL (clubs and competition) will significantly benefit by embracing and managing junior and youth pathways

9 Recommendation 6: Further to the above point, clubs other than NTFL clubs to be allowed to field teams in these regional junior and youth competitions If recommendation 5 is embraced by the NTFL, then it needs to be done so on the basis that non-ntfl clubs should be allowed to participate in junior and youth competitions (perhaps excluding U18 s) Junior and youth pathways shouldn t be exclusive to current senior football clubs; those individuals or groups of people that have the drive and enthusiasm to establish and support the development of the game for our next generation should be supported and included in every reasonable manner Welcoming other clubs at this level of competition could ultimately further strengthen and secure the NTFL competition at a senior level this pathway is where additional NTFL clubs may be developed

10 Recommendation 7: Develop an investment and education strategy for Australian Football in the region Our review uncovered some deficiencies in the overall structure and practices of educating our football coaches, administrators, umpires, volunteers and players in the region those most passionate about the game in the region expressed very strong opinions concerning the overall capacity and quality of club and junior coaches in particular AFL Tasmania also believe that recommendation 5 and 6 will provide an opportunity to better track and measure the capabilities of those people that coaches and teach our youngsters and provide targeted support where needed A detailed analysis of the current levels and then the future levels of investment and education in the region needs to be undertaken this should also be undertaken in collaboration with other members of the TFC (AFL Tasmania will take the lead in respect to this recommendation)

11 Recommendation 8: Undertake separate reviews of the future of the game in the Circular Head and West-Coast districts The most isolated districts, aside of King Island, are most definitely the Circular Head and West-Coast districts and further work needs to be undertaken in an endeavour to protect the game in these areas West-Coast is the most vulnerable The Circular Head district certainly has its challenges and an initial assessment of football in this district provided AFL Tasmania with some clarity around changes that are most probably well overdue AFL Tasmania will take the lead in terms of undertaking more detailed assessments concerning the future of the code in these two communities