Launceston president Sandra Boland says a further easing of crowd restrictions before finals would be "fantastic" as rival North Launceston prepares to play in front of the biggest TSL crowd this season.
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Tasmanian crowds have been limited to 500 people since sport resumed in July, but that figure could soon be increased should a trial at North Hobart Oval be successful.
North Hobart has been allowed to trial a 1250-person limit for Saturday's clash with North Launceston after having a 12-page plan approved by the state government.
The success of the trial will determine whether other football venues and sporting grounds can be considered for increased crowds and Boland believes it won't be a moment too soon.
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"It's [the 500-person limit] been successful so far and especially when you go into the bigger stadiums with all the grandstands, you can definitely see how empty the place is and how 500 people isn't filling a quarter of the place," she said.
"We went to UTAS [Stadium] Wednesday night and you could hear a pin drop it was so empty, but they were at capacity.
"At Launny we've got a lot of people sitting in their cars around the grounds, so it's another place we could definitely spread the people out."
The amount of tickets allocated to visiting sides has led to some friction between opposing State League supporters this season, most recently before last weekend's clash between North Hobart and Clarence.
Boland said the situation had been difficult for all seven clubs, who have been forced to turn away fans on a weekly basis.
"We look forward to it, especially heading towards finals, to not disappoint the people that want to come each week - it's really tough to say 'sorry we're sold out' and it's creating a bit of antagonism between clubs which is not necessary," Boland said.
"I'm not sure what [the ideal crowd number for Windsor Park] would be but obviously we went from 0 people to around 100 people to 500 when we started, so we were happy with 500 and we thought 'this is great'," Boland said.
"But I suppose the problem with 500 is you might sell 500 tickets but there's not 500 people there at once because someone might come and watch the 18s and someone might watch the women. They say 'there won't be 500 at the women's game' and no there won't, but someone bought a ticket and they're entitled to be here all day.
"So if that number was higher - any amount higher - it just helps us out."
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North Launceston president Thane Brady said any increase would be welcomed at UTAS Stadium, which has hosted seven of the past nine TSL grand finals.
"The club is very proud of the COVID management system we have developed and look forward to working in partnership with the facility manager and AFL Tasmania to explore any opportunities in increasing crowd restrictions," Brady said.
"We congratulate North Hobart in the success of their submission and look forward to Saturday's games."
Hamish Geale
Hamish Geale is a senior reporter at The Examiner. Got good news? Email: hgeale@examiner.com.au
Hamish Geale is a senior reporter at The Examiner. Got good news? Email: hgeale@examiner.com.au
