Football Tasmania has welcomed the return of A-League fixtures to Tasmania, predicting further growth of the sport after it was announced Western United would play two matches in Launceston each season for the next two years.
In an exciting opportunity for Tasmania’s high performance female players, Calder United, Western United’s feeder NPLW club, will also play a match against a Tasmanian women’s select team each year for the next two years.
Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley said the announcement marked an exciting step forward for the World Game in Tasmania.
“With close to 40,000 participants, football is Tasmania’s most-played team sport and continues to rise in popularity, especially among junior players,” Mr Bulkeley said.
“The next step in growing the sport in Tasmania is to increase the A League’s presence and partnerships like this are integral to maintaining football’s position as Tasmania’s most-played team sport.
“On behalf of the Tasmanian football community, I’d like to thank Western United and the State Government for bringing the A-League back to Tasmania.
“As well giving Tasmanians exposure to the very best players from Australia and abroad right here in Launceston, the partnership also offers exciting opportunities for community engagement and player development which will greatly benefit our aspiring junior and youth players.
“We’re looking forward to working with Western United to raise the profile and popularity of football in Tasmania even further and will continue to pursue opportunities to bring more elite level football matches to the state in the future.”