While passionate about seeing the state represented in both the AFL and AFLW, the Penguin premiership player and former Woolworths chief executive has revealed "the engagement with the community that footy brings" is what is driving him as part of a group that is putting together a business plan for those sides.

"That is based entirely on my experience of growing up with football in Penguin, and what an involvement in a footy club can do, which I which I was lucky enough to have in Penguin and that has never left me the benefit of being involved in that club,'' O'Brien said.

"It provided me with so much way beyond footy in terms of life lessons and being part of a team and those sort of things, and also seeing the engagement with the town, where I am sure half the town appeared in the grandstand at the old ground, and to me that is what footy is about.

"What I believe is that if we don't take the opportunity to get our AFL team, that might start to wither, and some say it already is, which would deny others the chance to have the same experience I had.

"The level of aspiration is critical, there is only a finite number of people that will get to that point, but there are a lot of people that want to participate, and that's where the community part does come in.

"That's what I believe will be the major benefit of this, and I will be working hard to make sure that remains central to the discussions about why we are doing this and making sure the outcomes do spread to the community as we shouldn't just be seeking an AFL team simply for the sake it, it has to be for the state and its community.

"That is where my heart is in this project and that is what I think will be the benefit of this if we are successful in getting an AFL and AFLW licenses, I think the greatest benefit will be with the participation of people being involved in footy and that is something we should fight for to ensure it is not lost."

O'Brien, who is based in Sydney, said he was making those comments knowing the issues in his home region, which has seen Circular Head Giants in the NWFL go into recess as long as DFA club Natone.

O'Brien and his taskforce colleagues, chairman Brett Godfrey, the co-founder of Virgin Australia Airlines, St Kilda champ Nick Riewoldt, Tasmanian business identity Errol Stewart, former GWS Giants chief financial officer and current TasRacing chief executive Paul Eriksson, executive chairman of Dynamic Sports and Entertainment Group James Henderson and Lauderdale president Julie Kay (with Brendon Bolton as an advisor), will meet in Hobart ahead of North Melbourne's match with Melbourne on Saturday.

It will be aiming to "narrow in on the broad range of things we have to consider" as they move ever closer to their end of year deadline to deliver that business plan.