With uncertainly surrounding the future of football in the area after Bridport and East Coast Swans were accepted into the NTFA, the pre-arranged meeting in Launceston on Thursday night looked at the future of football in the region.

“It was great to see from our point of view that all clubs were in attendance given the NTFA decision earlier in the week,” Tasmanian Football Council general manager Jackson Hills said.

“Credit to the clubs remaining in the NEFU in Winnaleah and Scottsdale Crows for the way they handled themselves in the meeting because I wouldn’t have blamed them if there was a little bit of angst but we were able to focus on the agenda which was really the junior model for the North-East.”

Hills said AFL Tas has agreed to help the union focus on a junior competition next year in the North-East with possible tweaks to the age groups and format to enable it be successful with the numbers available.

“We will help them set that up and we’ll focus on what their transition looks like in time to NTJFA competition in town as well in a three-year plan around the juniors,” he said. “We had a conversation with the remaining NEFU clubs and a credit to Kirk (Wagner) and his team who are keen to keep a version of senior footy alive next year and we will work on what the transition to a model in 2018 might look like.”

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