It is a risk that was heightened this week after the state was granted a NBL license, a potential free kick to another sport that Godfrey said shouldn't be ignored by those running the game, when the time was right, of course, considering the AFL's present COVID-19 dramas.

It comes after NBL owner and executive chairman Larry Kestelman got on the front foot on Thursday about his hopes for basketball in Tasmania, confident it could become the state's number one sport.

The potential advantage to other sports by not issuing the state AFL and AFLW licenses by 2025 was one that was highlighted in the taskforce's report issued in February, which indicated more ground would be given to other codes if things stayed the same as they are now, with the risk that football could die out.

While now is not the time to continue that fight with the AFL's focus firmly on the immediate future after moving its Victorian clubs into interstate hubs, there was a sense of realism about the risk to football in the state after Thursday.

It is a fear, Godfrey said, that those in charge at the AFL had been made aware of.

"The AFL has multiple issues right now associated with the coronavirus impact and the taskforce has respected the need to not be a distraction at this immediate time,'' Godfrey said.

"Tasmanian boys and girls like all kids in Australia want sporting heroes and need role models to emulate. If the AFL doesn't fulfill that role somebody else will and the taskforce has made that case abundantly clear to AFL House."

When announcing that a Tasmanian team would enter the NBL in 2021-2022 after the agreement with league and the state government was finalised, Kestelman didn't pull any punches.

"Our commitment and our intent was always to make basketball the number one sport in Tasmania and with them now having a national team that they can all support I am confident over the coming years that is exactly what we can do,'' he said.

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