The upcoming North Melbourne-run academy will give under-age football in Tasmania a much-needed shot in the arm, new AFL Tasmania CEO Robert Auld says.
Auld took over the reins of Tasmanian football last Friday and told AFL.com.au the stakeholders he had spoken to so far had expressed concern about the lack of elite young talent emerging from the state.
Much of that concern centres on the fact that no Tasmanian player was picked in the inaugural Allies team that is taking on Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia and Western Australia in this year's NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, with New South Wales and Queensland providing 28 of the Allies' 34 squad members.
"It's been a strong talking point, no question," Auld said of Tasmania's junior development.
"People are saying, 'What can we do? What have we got in place? What have we got coming to give our future talent the best opportunity?'
"Where we are is where we are. There are lots of reasons why, probably not a lot we can change now, but what we can do is impact the future.
"And that dovetails straight into last Friday's announcement (about the North academy). This will give things an acceleration or impetus of positivity and now gives us a wonderful response to the concerns that have been raised."
The North academy will start operating in six weeks and will run programs in three regions of Tasmania for children aged 11-15.
Auld said the academy would have a broad development focus, seeking to attract as many boys and girls to football as their first-choice sport, but would also cater for the state's best elite young talent, giving them access to specialist coaching and elite performance advice on preparation, recovery and diet.
"Junior development broadly is a really key focus for us, and then within that you want to make sure that those who have the aspiration and the ability have also got a platform to realise their ambitions, and that's where the academy comes in," Auld said.
"It will give our youth the best opportunity to realise their potential."
North will eventually have first claims on any academy members from an indigenous or multicultural background at the NAB AFL Draft, like Victorian clubs will have with their 'next generation' academies.
North CEO Carl Dilena has stated the club's desire to eventually gain access to all of the talent within its Tasmanian academy as Gold Coast, Brisbane Lions, Greater Western Sydney and Sydney Swans do with their academies.
Asked whether North could be granted that expanded access in the future, Auld said it would be a decision for the AFL.
The Tassie footy boss also deferred to the game's central governing body when asked whether one AFL team should be established in the state when Hawthorn's Launceston and North's Hobart deals expire at the end of 2021.
"Right now I've got really good certainty and stability to work with over the next five years," Auld said.
"What was announced on Friday with the Kangaroos is an incredibly positive development for AFL Tassie and that's not to say that it comes at the complete expense of working with Hawthorn, that's far from the case.
"This is an incredibly exciting window for Tassie footy and my energy is best served in getting the best outcomes from that right now and then at the right time between now and the fifth year (of the Hawthorn and North deals) there will likely be conversations between the AFL and the clubs, and I'll be comfortable with that."
