Where do you get your players from?
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It's one of the questions Alastair Clarkson knows is key to Tasmania's AFL licence bid.
Last week he told SEN Breakfast current clubs wouldn't vote for Tasmania if it was going to significantly impact forthcoming drafts.
"Most recruiters would say the draft has only just started to get parity in the last couple of years, that's 10 years after Gold Coast and GWS came in," he said.
"If Tasmania is going to be the same, there won't be a club that will vote for the Tasmanian team to come in because everyone will fear they won't get the players in the first round that they need to give themselves a chance to win a flag."
Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney received the lion's share of early draft picks when they entered the AFL in 2011 and 2012.
Clarkson highlighted a Tasmania zone and academy would be important and elaborated on that idea when in Launceston on Thursday.
"It just takes time but strangely enough, our focus as a club if we were able to secure the licence is on the current batch of 10 to 12 year olds running around playing footy in this state because it'll be that generation of players that's going to be the future of the Tasmanian Football Club and not just in terms of on-field but the administration, the coaching, the medical and conditioning," he told The Examiner.
"The whole invigoration of that club will be based on this next generation of participants coming through.
The whole invigoration of that club will be based on this next generation of participants coming through
- Alastair Clarkson
"The whole academy pitch will really be about those young kids getting opportunities. That's why we need to work with the schools and clubs so strongly now and invest heavily in those areas. And hopefully part of the pitch with the AFL would be that the Tasmanian region - if you're born and bred in Tasmania - and you get an opportunity to come through that academy program, it would be first right of refusal to the Tasmanian club to be listed to that club."
Clarkson feels concessions would need to be made but a new club would have to get its players from more than just the draft.
"Without a doubt there's going to need to be some concessions that will be granted," he said.
"I think every club in the land would understand that some concessions would need to be granted to the Tasmanian club in terms of drafting.
"But if they're of the significant implications for what they created for the competition, when Gold Coast and GWS came in, then I think there'll be a lot of clubs that will vote against the concept of Tasmania having a team.
"What we want to do is try to appease them in a sense by saying listen, not all our players are going to be required to come just from the national draft. If we give it enough time to actually set up the academies here in Tasmania, then we can produce some of our players from the island here and that's exciting for the club."
Clarkson and Launceston businessman Errol Stewart, who sits on the AFL taskforce, were at a meeting with some TSL and NTFA presidents and coaches on Thursday.
Stewart said it was a productive discussion.
"It's important Alastair meets all of the club presidents or as many as he possibly can, some of the coaches and just has a bit of a listen," he said.
"We've already identified we need to put some effort into improving grounds and facilities, particularly as the women's game grows.
"We've got a bit of work to do on the ground. And that's part of my responsibility to go back to the government of the day and say we've got to put some more effort into improving these things to create the pathways because ultimately we've got to improve the game."
Stewart said player participation was strong but there were areas for improvement.
"We are struggling a bit with ovals and facilities and probably struggling a little bit with administrative people that will get in and roll the sleeves up and do the hard work," he said.
"There's some areas here that we've got to try and encourage participation of the parents and supporters to help the players.
"But player participation is good. And we've got to ensure we can manage that as we grow."
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