Preamble:

Paul Gadomski
State rower – 10 years, Director of Coaching 11 years.
Involved in football administration juniors/seniors – 8 years
Board Chair – St Aloysius College – 6 years
St Aloysius High School project steering committee – 3 years
Tasmanian Catholic Education commission member – 3 years
St Virgil’s College Board – 6 years
CEO – Cripps Nubake Pty LTD – 19 years
I am Tasmanian born and bred but have worked around the country and New Zealand in
various roles. Graduate of the University of Tasmania, and the Australian Institute of
company directors. Whilst never playing AFL I have been involved with AFL since 2003 when
my eldest son started at Auskick, I have seen many changes in this time and now with my
son Lachlan being involved in the Tas Academy for 3 years, the NAB U17 Allstars last year
and recently selected in the Allies I have experienced Tasmanian football at all levels,
administrator, supporter and parent. I have seen many young men and now women come
through the TSL system and its is character building, it holds a solid place in the heart and
soul of Tasmania and has a huge influence on young footballers in Tasmania who aspire to
play in it. I consider my TSL club part of my extended family.

Thane Brady

Junior state football representative but limited senior playing involvement with the North
Launceston Football club as a motorbike accident forced a move from player to
administrator.

At the NLFC served 15 years on the board and held vice and president roles over two state
wide competitions.

Active member of NLFC Past Players Association – 30 years.

15 years junior footy program involvement as volunteer, committee member inclusive of 8

years’ experience as coach.

Professional life has been based around Business Consultant & Property Investor.
The following submission is a joint submission with a view to creating Football best practice
in Tasmania. The football landscape is changing, and we accept that, but we believe that the
collective good work over the past 4 years of the TSL is now on the cusp of delivering what it
was implemented to do i.e. more youths with draft potential. Four years ago, 10 clubs were
invited to go on this journey with AFL Tasmania, and a 10-year strategic plan was written in
the form of a licence agreement. It is very clear in the licence agreement it was never
intended for it to end. At the time of formation long term decisions were made by all clubs
on the representations made by AFL Tas at the time. These representations were confirmed
once again by AFL Tasmania CEO Trish Squires in a meeting at Campbell Town on the 22 nd of
February this year when it was stated “I would like to make it clear that the AFL is
committed to the licence agreements and they will be honoured”.
The current TSL is a strong product and it is delivering results. Last weekend 13 mariners
were named in the Div. 1 U 18 squad for this year. These players have been developed
jointly by the state academy and their respective TSL clubs. In a letter to all current TSL club
coaches only this week. Marcus Ashcroft said “Tasmania have had 13 players selected into
the initial Allies squad. This is an outstanding result for the state and a testament for the
hard work and dedication by the players and their support networks which include
yourselves and your clubs”.
This submission is designed to demonstrate the critical mass we have created within the TSL
in Tasmania. All 7 clubs are strong, viable and vibrant and have become strategic pillars in
their communities and zones. The clubs are supported by a plethora of passionate
volunteers who live and breathe the AFL brand, to support their local talent in the states
premier competition.
Now only in its 5th season under the extended Licence Agreement we collectively see no
valid or ethical reason why the AFL is considering withdrawing support, because the system
is working. Like many systems it could be better and we are committed to working with the
AFL to achieve footballs best practice in the state. The TSL clubs are leaders in their field
and as Eisenhower said, “lead and they will follow”. This is why the 7 clubs are by far the
largest football clubs in the state and the destination of choice for parents to bring their
children for Auskick, programs and junior footy we are simply football leaders in Tasmania.

Our vision for the TSL and football in Tasmania is depicted in this TSL strategy house:
Like any house you must have strong foundations on which to build. In the current TSL we
have achieved this by ensuring all clubs have professional boards who are delivering strong
contemporary leadership and governance. W have support networks in place for coaches
and players to ensure they can reach their full potential with the clubs assisting them when
they need it most, examples being times or injury, rehabilitation, mental health or
disappointment in meeting performance expectations. Every current TSL coach is a teacher
of the modern game, our football product is of a very high quality and it is quantum leaps
above any other competition in the state.
All clubs are actively involved in their community running various football mentoring
programs, Auskick and junior development programs even coach mentoring with other
lower league clubs in the zone. We truly have delivered on the objective of premier
competition in Tasmania and the structures in place supporting the players are of a very
high standard.
The clubs are committed to their values, some are a work in progress, but they create the
pillars of what we are about or where we desire to be. We see a future of continuous
improvement providing a football environment that allows players, umpires, coaches and
support staff to reach their potential whatever that may be. It is engrained in an athlete to
aspire to be the best they can be. That is why we owe it to the youth of Tasmania to
provide them with a football competition that ticks all the boxes, facilitates them playing at
their best every week, challenging them and committing them to self- improvement. This
will not be achievable if the TSL is diluted in any way.
Any organisation excels by management to KPI’s. We believe in the past the KPI’s for the
competition haven’t been truly aligned to what we are about or even what we can achieve.
We would welcome the opportunity to set targets for these KPI’s and bench mark them in
future seasons.
We believe our bench marks should be:
Coach Accreditation – assisting coaches to continual learn.
Player no’s – continue to grow, but also measure retention and number of games played
milestones.
Even competition – difficult without a draft system, but it should be analysed and measured
so that assistance can be given in the areas it is most needed.
Academy numbers – being held accountable for this shows support for pathways and
investment in youth and investment in talent.

The roof on the house articulates the entire system, we aim to provide a professional
inclusive environment in our clubs to nurture and retain talent, but also release it to talent
pathway programs whether they be TAC cup, VFL or AFL opportunities. We also aim to
provide the best competition for the clear majority of players who are not at the standard
required for pathways, always striving to work with them to help them on their journey if
that is the journey they desire. The majority of our players in the state league more than
likely for a number of reasons will not automatically qualify to play regular VFL, however
they have a right to play in a premier competition in their own state that is of a standard
where opportunities remain open for the most committed players to aim for VFL or higher
level of competition.
Our vision statement:
Our TSL is built on best talent both on and off the field focusing on; professional
environments, best quality facilities, trained and accredited coaches and support staff,
quality umpires all striving to develop the competition to support talent pathways.
We believe we have delivered on this unquestionably.

We believe the journey since 2009 in the TSL has placed us with 7 emerging football centres
of excellence. Some clubs are on various stages of the journey but there is commonality in
all of our linkages. We are all fully integrated with our stakeholders and it is important to
acknowledge that our clubs contribute so much more in the community than just providing
football.
All TSL clubs have many generations of volunteers who assist in the running of the business.
We have all worked hard to engage and work with the state academy with flow of players to
and from and providing the platform for extra development if required.
Many of the clubs are heavily invested in their junior programs and provide mentoring
support and coach support with players, which invests the whole club in the culture and
values from the grass roots. It is no surprise the clubs that do this well have the higher
numbers of players in the academy program, but they are also the strongest junior clubs in
the state, not only in on field performance but numbers as well.
All clubs engage with the community marketing the football brand across the zone,
investing in the future with schools and community programs. Some clubs have a dedicated
development officer, and this is a valuable resource for creating linkages back to the clubs
from areas of the community that might not otherwise be engaged.

The TSL in only 10 seasons has grown to quite a large business with a large number of
players across all programs in the clubs. These player numbers include Seniors, Mercury
Cup, U18’s and women’s teams and for some juniors as well. The TSL is football in
Tasmania’s critical mass and a football system that needs to be invested in.
There are a large number of people who are employed at the TSL clubs, some are full time,
part time and casual. Most of these jobs would be at risk or not required if the TSL is diluted
in any way or funding is reduced. In some areas of the state, these jobs are in marginalised
communities.
This year sees the TSL boast a large number of boys in the U16 and U18 AFL academies, all
U18’s are aligned with TSL clubs and are continuing their football experience there.

We believe the future of football structure in Tasmania relies upon continuing the TSL
product and investing in it to become the critical HUB of football in the state.
All current TSL clubs would welcome the re-entry of a north west coast club in the
competition provided that it assessed on its own business case and funded accordingly. We
are all aware of inherent challenges on the NWC, but we are aware there is interest from
the Burnie Football club to reassess in future years and there is now a fantastic facility at
Penguin to base a quality development and TSL program.
All current TSL clubs would consider a separate funding model for a NWC club, one which
would adequately compensate the players for their travel time commitment possibly
outside of the salary cap, we also believe that basing the North West Coast talent program
at Burnie would give them the player resource to field a Mercury cup team.

Contrary to rhetoric we have heard about the legitimacy of the TSL without a NWC
presence, we feel this is essentially irrelevant and has no bearing on the viability or
sustainability of the competition moving forward if re-entry of a NWC is not achievable.
State leagues in SA and Victoria are not truly state wide so we cannot see why Tasmania
should be discriminated against and have to play under a different set of rules.
We unanimously feel the future structure of football in Tasmania should look like this:

In line with our motivation to assist with setting up football best practice in Tasmania, this
model would flow as follows:
The TSL becomes the HUB and resourced accordingly:
- AFL Tasmania and TSL clubs host combined development series for identified talent /
standout players in local junior football.

- Identified talent in the development series progress to the state academy program with
indigenous players also introduced to the Kangaroos Academy.

- Other players in the development series remain in their TSL zone development program
while continuing to play with their local junior club.

- Players who drop out of state academy program can participate in TSL zone development
program to remain on the talent pathway.

- Players who excel in the TSL zone programs can be elevated into the state academy
program.

- As players reach senior age, they are already affiliated with a TSL club.
- Mariners players can progress directly to the VFL if ready, or back to TSL to continue to
work on development required.

- Players who excel in TSL have a pathway to the VFL and onto the AFL.

This model provides a step-by-step pathway for footballers of different rates of

development to progress as far as they can up the pyramid towards AFL.

Without the involvement of TSL clubs in the youth pathway and senior pathway the link in
this chain is broken, leaving identified talented players who have already received significant
investment into their development with no other options but to play local lower grade
football or head interstate.

This has similarities to the model used in South Australia and Western Australia, where the
partnership between the governing body and the state league clubs acts as a series of
stepping stones to the state program and ultimately to the AFL.

From a community perspective the community engagement officer is zoned to a group of

clubs. These people can start under the AFL sports ready traineeship if new recruits are
required their role being:

Engaging the community in AFL,

Running Auskick and football programs at schools and community groups in the zone,
Playing a role in talent identification and facilitating their entry to their zoned club,
Potentially running a modified school footy competition in the zone.

The suggested structure would be:

Zone 1: Tigers FC/ North Hobart

Zone 2: Glenorchy/ Clarence/ Lauderdale
Zone 3: Launceston/ North Launceston based on traditional zone allocation
Zone 4: North West Coast under the Academy banner managed by the appointed AFL
officer
We see three key issues with the TSL at the moment:

Affiliation and policing of the lower leagues needs to be completed immediately. This has
been on the radar for some time and is a key component of moving forward that must be
addressed. Control in this area will reduce the overall investment required in the TSL and
assist in relocating talent to where it should be in the premier competition.

The Funding model needs to be reviewed, we keep being told there is no more money to
invest into grass roots footy, junior programs, auskick and community programs and
promoting the AFL brand. Only weeks ago, it was reinforced with us that $1.3m is the cap
on TSL funding yet there is a multi-million $ option on the table for a potential stand- alone
VFL side. This clearly indicates funding is available for supported development programs
and we remain confident additional funding into the TSL flowing into the grassroots through
TSL aligned juniors and Auskick programs will deliver significant return on investment and
have a wider reaching impact on football in the state.
Respectfully we remain of the view more open communication on planning the way forward
needs to occur. We have an opportunity here to create football best practice however we
fear timelines are too short. Tasmanians have been through changes in their football
landscape for at least a decade. The warning signs of a lack of investment in football across
the state are now a reality with non TSL clubs struggling to field the basic players required.
Summary:
Tasmanians are expecting this current review to address all of their issues, something we
know cannot be achieved without clubs and competition administrator’s willingness to help
each other. The TSL is the only competition in Tasmania that has a proven record of dealing
with change, adapting and surviving.
Collectively between the AFL and TSL we have the ability to set the future program for
Tasmania and support each other in leading change, delivering the message and making real
improvements to the football landscape. Based on history with many reviews previously
undertaken with little improvement many are expecting us all to fail. If we work closer
together we will not fail.
Respectfully we suggest the best future course of action must be supported with a
reasonable timeframe to work through all of the issues and communicate appropriately
with all stakeholders.
To this end we suggest the process needs to slow down with a commitment from TSL
presidents to work closely with AFL Tas to get it right. We suggest for future governance
considerable thought be given to setting up a TSL steering committee to prepare and
analyse change, set KPI targets and monitor, oversee the model and keep it on track.
The AFL needs a partner in Tasmania. TSL clubs are the perfect allies as they have proven a
commitment to developing talent and share many philosophies. There is a feeling amongst
the group that the $1.3m that already comes to help fund the TSL may be able to be
allocated differently, more due diligence on this needs to occur. Some of the league
administration tasks can be decentralised to the clubs with the right resource in place.
The window of opportunity is open, and it is of fundamental importance to the standing of
the AFL and the reputations of the members of the steering committee that the delivered
outcomes are the right balance. We firmly believe this model as presented is the right one
for Tasmania. We support the youth pathways models we have been presented involving
TAC cup and feel this can be implemented as early as next year.
Based on previous experience we suggest any step up in program above the TSL be phased
in over at least 3 years. This approach will control risk and allow for a constant review of any
issues or barriers that present. We suggest VFL options be explored more thoroughly and
maybe an alliance with North Melbourne’s VFL side is a prudent way to go.

Paul Gadomski – Tigers FC

Thane Brady – North Launceston FC
on behalf of all TSL presidents.