Hopes to join the country's top-flight soccer competition were dashed in mid-2018 when Tasmania's bid failed to make the top-10 shortlist, with licences eventually awarded to Western United and Macarthur FC.

Bulkeley believes the state is much better-shaped this time around.

"We know that the A-League is going to expand," FFA's ex-national participation manager said.

"That's a stated strategic objective and we also know Tasmania is a real frontrunner for getting a licence because there's only a real shortlist of locations in Australia in our view that foot the bill for that."

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Bulkeley said barriers that kept Tasmania's 2018 bid from being successful would no longer be in place when the next round of expansion comes.

"There were other factors that went into the decision-making last time - our understanding is that is no longer the case around some of those things so it would be a very open process," Bulkeley said.

"Given the fact that we have such a large football community, given the fact that we have a very well-structured and connected collaborative football community I think puts us in a really good position.

"We know that Tasmanians will support their own team, so we think that we're in a good position in that regard.

"My personal view is that I think it's unlikely that expansion will occur in some of the bigger cities because they're starting to get the point where they probably have enough clubs ... that's my personal view but I think that bodes well for us."

The next round of expansion is tipped to occur within a couple of years of Macarthur becoming the league's 12^th team in the 2020-21 season.

Bulkeley said the Harry Stamoulis-led consortium who backed Tasmania's bid two years ago remained eager to get the project off the ground.

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