Football Federation Tasmania can confirm the Women's Super League will go ahead as a six-team competition in 2019, following the withdrawal of Taroona and Launceston City from the league.
The two clubs confirmed their intention to withdraw over the weekend, however the other six clubs, Ulverstone, Hobart Zebras, Olympia, Kingborough, Clarence and South Hobart have committed to the competition as a six-team model.
Football Federation Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley said while he was disappointed by the outcome, he respected the clubs’ decisions to step away from the Super League and look to rebuild.
"We’re obviously disappointed that Launceston City and Taroona will not be part of the competition next year as they’ve been tremendous supporters of the women's game in Tasmania,” Mr Bulkeley said.
"Having said that, we understand and respect the clubs’ position. We remain committed to working with and supporting both clubs and hope they can return to the top level in the near future.
We also remain excited about the future of football for women and girls in Tasmania. We have thousands of girls and women playing the world game in our state. 26 per cent of our players in Tasmania are female which is the highest proportion of any state or territory. Our next objective is to grow this to at least 30 per cent.
However it isn't just about raw playing numbers when it comes to the Super League but about having players capable of playing at the top level in the State. The challenge has always been having the development pathways in place so we have enough players to ensure the WSL is sustainable.
One of the strengths of Women’s football in Tasmania, is that it’s offers a variety of competitions, so clubs can participate at the level that is appropriate for them. But it’s a technical game and you can’t just walk into the top level having never played before, which has made it hard for the likes of Taroona and Launceston City to replace the players they have lost and it’s clear that there is more for us to do in this area.”
Mr Bulkeley said Football Federation Tasmania was committed to continuing to support clubs and associations with the development of football for women and girls.
“Our new Women’s Development Officer, Deb Banks, has recently started with us and has hit the ground running. We will shortly be announcing the composition of our new Women’s Standing Committee and we also continue to work with our clubs on ensuring facilities are meeting the requirements of our sport, especially females,” he said.
“Many of our clubs still only have two change rooms – home and away, which is really difficult when needing to accommodate male and female teams in a quality high performance football environment.
This is a major reason FFT has been pushing so hard for badly needed infrastructure upgrades at facilities around the state, so we can provide the best possible pathways for our players and we can maintain a healthy top division for our best players to compete in."
Despite the disappointment, Mr Bulkeley said the Super League would still provide a quality competition in 2019.
“We are confident the WSL will still provide a strong level of competition in 2019. FFT will also continue to evaluate our competitions to ensure that what we have in place meets the needs of our clubs and their players. This is a process that will continue throughout this year.”