Football Tasmania has today released its new Facilities Strategy 2023-2026.
The Facilities Strategy is an evidence-based strategy, designed to ensure sufficient football facilities are available to cater for unmet demand and support the projected growth of football in Tasmania, from grassroots to elite level.
Central to the Strategy is the development of three Regional Hubs around the State, with the Southern Regional Hub to be additionally developed as the Home of Football.
The Regional Hubs will provide community and grassroots facilities with a focus on accommodating growth, particularly in women and girls’ participation. They would be developed in the North, North-West and South.
It is envisaged the Southern Regional Hub and Home of Football would be established at a greenfield site, and potential locations are under consideration.
Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley said that football is the largest participation team sport in Tasmania, with around 38,000 participants.
“Football in Tasmania is growing across all categories and is expected to continue to grow,” he said.
“The FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this year will add to that demand, and we want to ensure that participants - particularly women and girls - aren’t turned away due to the lack of suitable facilities.
“That is why the Strategy also includes a focus on continued local facility renewal across the State, including through gender appropriate amenities, lighting upgrades, and hybrid and synthetic surface technology.”
Mr Bulkeley said that while the primary focus of the Facilities Strategy was to support grassroots growth, it was also prepared with the view of future-proofing football in Tasmania for eventual A-League teams of its own.
“To that end, we are currently in discussions with the Government about whether the Macquarie Point Stadium could be suitably configured, or whether a better and more cost-effective option would be a 7-10,000 seat “show pitch” at the Southern Regional Hub, which could cater for A-League and other representative level games,” he said.
“Under this scenario, the Macquarie Point stadium could still be used for big games, such as international matches, and the Southern Regional Hub could host visiting A-League games, and potentially become the home of Tasmania’s own A-League men’s and women’s teams down the track.”
Mr Bulkeley said Football Tasmania would now liaise with clubs, footballers, all levels of Government and the broader community about the Strategy, and looked forward to receiving feedback.
The Facilities Strategy is available to read here: Football Tasmania Facilities Strategy