Former Collingwood Football Club president Eddie McGuire has thrown his support behind Tasmania getting its own AFL team, declaring "the time is now" for the game to head South.
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Appearing on Footy Classified on Wednesday night, McGuire put forward a six-minute pitch on why the state should get the 19th team in the league - in an attempt to make the game a completely national sport.
McGuire's 'pathway' was broken down into six key areas - money, talent, stadium, lifestyle, leadership and the idea of a 20th team.
It's a plan Premier Peter Gutwein said he hadn't seen in detail, but one he was glad McGuire was throwing his support behind.
"We've been talking about an AFL team for three decades, it's about time (he) got on board with it," Gutwein said.
"Eddie throws a lot of things out there publicly - something people agree with and some things people don't.
"But in terms of Tasmania having its own team, I absolutely agree with Eddie, now is the time."
In his pitch, McGuire suggested the state government would need to double its investment in the game, putting forward $20 million each year; secure another $20 million from the federal government; and have a commercial profit of $15 million to make the team work.
In addition to the government's financial investment in the team, McGuire suggested Tasmania would need a roofed stadium to accommodate prime broadcast games, including Friday night fixtures.
The suggestion the state would need to build a new facility is one Gutwein didn't agree with.
"As I've said, we'll determine the types of stadiums we have in Tasmania and I thank him for his suggestions," he said.
The business plan put together by the Tasmanian AFL Taskforce is currently being independently assessed by former Geelong Football Club president Colin Carter.
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Gutwein, who said he didn't know too much about Carter, said he believed him to be a "very fair and very reasonable" person.
"The business case that we put forward, that Tasmania based on its current investment, could support an AFL team in (the state) with less support from the AFL than it provides to more than half a dozen teams.
"The key thing that we need from the AFL is a decision on the time frame and I welcome Eddie McGuire coming on board."
With McGuire's proposal suggesting the state should have its own team by 2028 and that Tasmania didn't want to "miss the boat again", Gutwein said the support was one he appreciated.
"The key point that Eddie made, which I'm very pleased with, is the time is right now for Tassie to have a team," he said.
"So, I say, welcome on board Eddie, it's about time."
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