Super Netball has emerged as a surprise front-runner to become the next national competition to welcome a Tasmanian side.
The state has had its finger in a number of pies recently, with the Tasmania JackJumpers set to compete in the next NBL season and pushes growing for the establishment AFL and A-League sides.
Netball Tasmania chief executive Aaron Pidgeon announced on Wednesday that the state would apply for a team in Super Netball's next four-year licence period - beginning 2022 - with an eye to participating in the 2023 competition.
The timeline would allow the state to fulfil the final year of a three-year deal with Super Netball outfit Collingwood Magpies, who have been in the state since 2017.
"This is an exciting time for Tasmanian netball and Tasmanian sport in general as we see many sports push for Tasmanian teams in national competitions," Pidgeon said.
"We still have a number of matters to line up before this can become a reality, but we're committed to the cause and we believe that it's the right time."
It is believed the program would cost about $3 million a year to run, with Netball Tasmania hoping to secure $1 million funding per year from the state government.
Such a contribution would mark about an extra $400,000 annual investment from the government, who paid $1.75 million for a three-year deal with the Magpies in 2017.
Should the project garner the necessary financial backing, Tasmania will either need to win a ninth licence or replace one of the eight teams who competed in 2020.
"The league and the broadcast are both in a position where they've got to determine whether our submission is strong enough to beat out one of the existing teams, or whether it's strong enough to warrant expansion of the competition," Pidgeon said.
Tasmania is yet to have a homegrown player compete in the Super Netball competition, but Pidgeon believes that will soon change.
The Tasmanian Magpies' 2018 ANL grand final win - which featured four Launcestonians - and four representatives in last year's under-19 and under-17 national squads prove the state is producing its own talent.
Pidgeon described Tasmania's playing stocks.
"It's better than what most people think - the reality is that like most Tasmanian state teams, we're impacted a little bit by population," he said.
"No doubt if we had a team we'd need to bring in some talent both nationally and internationally in the first instance to make sure we can not just be competitive, but roll out an entertainment product that people want to turn up and support.
"But we've got some longer-term goals there to make sure that over time that team is filled out heavily with Tasmanian talent and we believe we've got the pathways in place now to develop those athletes and give them an opportunity in the years to come."
Homegrown Magpie Ashleigh Probert-Hill could well be one of those athletes.
A Cripps Waratah midcourter who has been in the state program since age 14, the 20-year-old is excited at the prospect of being able to represent her state at the highest level.
"A Tassie team would be awesome," Probert-Hill said.
"I've been in the ANL program now for two years and the relationships that we've had with Collingwood and the exposure that the Tassie athletes have had at that level has been awesome, so having a standalone Tassie team brings so much more opportunity for us athletes here."
A name for the Tasmanian side will be discussed in the coming weeks with 'Spirit', which served the state's ANL side between 2008 and 2015, among the contenders.
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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
