NBL, A-League, AFL and Supercars shake-up Launceston sporting calendar

In the space of a fortnight, the state has seen seismic shifts in four different major sporting competitions.

Basketball was bounced back, motorsport went into reverse gear, footy went to ground and soccer opted to kick off elsewhere.

The first three were related to a virus, the fourth to a venue, or rather a lack of one.

Although nobody can foresee what's going to happen with COVID (except Donald Trump apparently), FIFA's decision to cut Launceston from its 2023 Women's World Cup plans was as easy to see coming as Arsenal conceding while trying to play out from the back.

While rival host cities could show FIFA delegates around ready-built beautiful rectangular stadiums, Tasmania's case consisted of: here's a footy oval which might look a bit better with some temporary seating, if we get funding for it, which we should, hopefully.

Bizarrely, this wasn't a strong enough case as Sam Kerr, Megan Rapinoe and co. were redirected to assorted mainland capital venues rather than the tantalizing prospect of popping into the Bizy Bee for a quick dim sim ahead of training.

But while much can - and must - be done to better prepare for similar international sporting opportunities in the future, Northern Tasmania could have done little to prevent the prevalence of recent national rescheduling.

As Queensland took its turn as the country's latest coronavirus hotspot, various national sporting competitions were forced into some hasty reorganisation.

The NBL was first to act, postponing two of four New Zealand Breakers fixtures scheduled for the Silverdome this month. New dates were soon announced with rumours also surfacing that our involvement may not be limited to just four games.

The Supercars were soon moving through the gears, delaying the championship's annual Symmons Plains round by a week.

The rescheduled visit on April 17-18 will now lead nicely into Targa Tasmania on April 19-24, ensuring an unbroken week of exhaust fumes for the state's petrolheads.

With somewhat less fanfare, the AFL has also amended its roster, with a glut of fixtures suddenly accompanied by those dreaded letters "TBC".

Anzac Day hasn't changed, with Hawthorn's 12.30pm game against Adelaide still serving as a television curtain-raiser to the traditional MCG Essendon-Collingwood blockbuster at 3.20pm.

However, the date and start times for further Hawthorn fixtures in Launceston, which had previously been announced against North Melbourne (on May 15), Fremantle (July 10) and Western Bulldogs (August 14), are all now To Be Confirmed.

The same goes for North Melbourne's Hobart fixtures which were due to be against Melbourne on May 1, GWS Giants (June 12), Gold Coast (June 26) and Geelong (July 31).

All remain on the AFL website with the helpful disclaimer: "All match timeslots for rounds 7-23 to be determined at a later date."

With so much fixture juggling going on, it was inevitable some would land together.

So it is with Saturday, April 17, seeing Northern Tasmania playing host to both the Supercars and A-League.

Meanwhile, the following Friday (April 23) witnesses an even bigger clash as the New Zealand Breakers take on Cairns at the Silverdome at exactly the same time that Launceston City host Riverside Olympic just a few Lachy Clark drop-kicks away across Prospect.

And there will be no shortage of logistical headaches for our dedicated venue staff with the adaptable team at UTAS Stadium faced with a three-day turnaround between round and oval-ball footy codes - surely a breeze in comparison to the Silverdome hosting international boxing and netball just 48 hours apart back in 2016.

For diehard Launceston sports fans, there's going to be much to consider, not least choosing between NBL or NPL.

In the space of three weeks, the city is hosting action in four national sporting competitions which is likely to test wallets as much as willingness.

Taking the family to any one of these is likely to hit three-figure territory very quickly but having to choose between superstars like Jamie Whincup, Besart Berisha, Bryce Cotton and Shaun Burgoyne isn't a decision regularly faced in these parts.