Hawthorn and North Melbourne will each play four home games in Tasmania for at least another year after the Tasmanian Government signed one-year agreements with the clubs.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Premier Peter Gutwein made the announcement in Parliament on Thursday morning, but maintained his belief that Tasmania would "once and for all" find out the result of its own bid for AFL team in 2022.
The "rollover" deal - with funding not detailed in his comments - maintains four regular season Hawthorn games at UTAS Stadium with one preseason match, and four North Melbourne games at Blundstone Arena in Hobart for 2022.
Mr Gutwein said it was "great" to have the Hawks back in Tasmania for another year, and welcomed North Melbourne and its ongoing sponsorship arrangement with the Spirit of Tasmania.
He said the two elimination finals in Tasmania were a great spectacle unlikely to be repeated - except when the state gets its own team.
"What I am certain of, is that when we get our own Tasmanian team, there will be finals played again in Tasmania," Mr Gutwein said.
"The Colin Carter taskforce report - and I spoke to Colin Carter just recently - and he is fully behind our push to get an AFL licence.
"Importantly, in terms of the arrangements we have put in place, next year once and for all the question will be answered. I am certain that that will be a positive outcome for Tasmania."
The Premier also announced that the first 20 matches of the Women's Big Bash League will be played in Tasmania, starting from October 14.
There would be 11 matches in Launceston - eight at UTAS Stadium and three at Invermay Park - and nine at Blundstone Arena.
Mr Gutwein said the teams would be housed in different hotels to the returning overseas traveller system.
"Therefore there'll be no impact on returning Tasmanians," he said.
Last month, former AFL Commissioner Colin Carter released a review of the business case for Tasmania's AFL team, largely coming down to three options: a Melbourne club "sharing" arrangement, a relocated Melbourne team, or a standalone 19th team.
Mr Gutwein said the 19th team option was the only option for Tasmania.
Kennett welcomes 'ongoing partnership' with Tasmania
Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett said the club was excited to continue playing home matches in Tasmania for another year.
"This is great news for our fantastic, loyal Tasmanian members who have shown incredible support to the club for over 21 years," he said.
"We are immensely proud of our long-standing association with Tasmania, and the club is thrilled to continue its presence and strong connection with the state for another year.
"The relationship between Tasmania and Hawthorn has spanned more than two decades and over that time the partnership has come to mean a lot to us.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to play more blockbuster games at UTAS Stadium and look forward to building on our well-established community and school programs across the state."
What do you think? Send us a letter to the editor:
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
- Follow us on Google News: The Examiner