Tamar Cats could become the next Tasmanian football club to close its doors next week.
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The Beauty Point-based Northern Tasmanian Football Association division 2 club will hold a crisis meeting at 6pm on Tuesday with low player training numbers forcing administrators to act.
President Chris Rundle said that unless 20 to 30 players committed to play seniors and reserves, the Cats’ would be unsustainable and forced to fold five weeks out from this season’s opening round.
Rundle said it was the club’s seasoned players that have not signed up to go around again under new coach Michael Murfet.
“It’s been pretty dire at training with only our recruits and a few young players turning up and the full-club meeting at the clubrooms will decide our future,” he said.
“We’ve been able to recruit well with Michael from Old Scotch, Josh Knight from George Town, Dylan Johnston from South Launceston and Jesse Tunks from Bracknell.
“At most we’ve had 20 players turning up, which is not enough to fill two sides. We’ve rung every player on our books with nearly 40 committing to train but they haven’t showed up.
“We need the Tamar Cats to survive.”
The Cats, formed by the amalgamation of Beauty Point and Beaconsfield in 1989, are also without reserves coach.
The competition was reduced to 11 teams with Prospect Hawks going into recess late last year and it is understood other clubs are also on the brink.
NTFA president Paul Reynolds said he has been monitoring the “difficult situation” by continuously asking all clubs how they are travelling in meeting the association’s governance, financial and personnel licence requirements.
He said the association has been assured by all other clubs that they are viable for season 2018 and that the NTFA structure would inevitably change to a more sustainable model moving forward.
“With our and the TSL situation we hope to meet with AFL Tasmania chief executive Trisha Squires very soon,” he said.
Corey Martin
Having started at The Examiner as a cadet in 2009, I have held various positions telling the stories of Northern Tasmanians in sport and news. I was appointed deputy editor in 2019 and became editor in September 2021.
Having started at The Examiner as a cadet in 2009, I have held various positions telling the stories of Northern Tasmanians in sport and news. I was appointed deputy editor in 2019 and became editor in September 2021.
