TODAY’S AFL match at Aurora Stadium is set to be the biggest in a decade.
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It’s hardly a surprise really; both Hawthorn and Carlton enjoy a large membership base, particularly here in Tasmania.
You do not have to be a fan of football to feel good from the bustling activity in Launceston last night and over this weekend.
Businesses are benefiting, a well-deserved reward for dealing with the region’s struggling economy, and there is vibrancy in the city centre.
The PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ report released last year on Hawthorn’s economic impact on the state should never be ignored.
The report found that $17.5 million was generated in direct expenditure over the 2014 season, which featured only two games with Hawthorn facing Victorian-based clubs.
Another report on that season calculated $12 million worth of brand exposure for the state.
Today’s game should be the third in a decade to hit more than 20,000 attendees.
The only two times that AFL games at Aurora have surpassed this number were both in 2006 at a Hawthorn-Richmond game (20,971 people) and a Hawthorn-St Kilda game (20,011).
A huge crowd this weekend will send a message to the AFL that Launceston wants its four games a year past the end of Hawthorn's contract in 2021.
It wants Hawthorn, a club that Launceston has grown to love because of its great community involvement, to stay forever as president Richard Garvey told the Examiner last month.
And, Launceston wants as many as possible traditional games involving a second Victorian side. At no stage does Launceston want North Melbourne to eventually take over a games in Launceston.
Such a move will ultimately going to lead to less games in Launceston, as North Melbourne won't be prepared to play four games in Launceston and seven or eight in Tasmania altogether.
Garvey wants to showcase Launceston on a Friday night or at least Saturday night game to a national audience and we can do it with the government and the City Of Launceston’s efforts to have lights upgraded at the stadium.
In the meantime, we need to continue to make noise over our love of football in our city.