Crowds prove Launceston should be AFL 'focus point': McKendrick

Should a Tasmanian AFL license be confirmed via a $240 million federal contribution towards a new Hobart stadium, it is planned that Tasmanian homes games will be split 7-4 between the South and the North.

It is understood that player acquisition and retention are among the primary reasons for basing the team in the capital.

However, Mr McKendrick, who served 37 years on City of Launceston council and 12 years as chairman of the York Park-Inveresk Precinct Authority, believes Launceston's track record of pulling higher attendances makes it the obvious home for AFL.

Apart from 2015 and 2016, when Melbourne, St Kilda and Richmond (twice) accounted for four of North Melbourne's six Bellerive Oval opponents, Launceston has attracted significantly bigger AFL crowds than the South.

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Last year, the average AFL crowd in Launceston was 12,060, compared to 7141 in Hobart.

"The figures prove that the attendances favour the Northern part of the state far greater than they do the South, you can't go beyond that," Mr McKendrick said.

"Launceston has always attracted 3-5000 more than what Bellerive ever did, and that to me says something. That spells out where will the people travel to.

"The bulk of everything should be positioned where the figures and the facts tell you the crowds [are]."

Crowd numbers at Tasmanian AFL games have declined significantly since the average peaked at 17,000-plus between 2007 and 2009.

Average attendances fell below 12,000 for the first time in 2018, and plummeted as low as 7303 in 2021.

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"I think [crowd numbers] have diminished for a number of reasons," Mr McKendrick said.

"A lot more people are connected to Kayo, Fox.

"It's costly to go for families, but also splitting the games [between the North and South] has been detrimental I believe."

Total season attendances peaked in 2016, when a combined 104,243 people attended Tasmanian AFL games across seven fixtures.

Just 87,641 spectators were recorded across 12 Tasmanian games in 2021, marginally more than the 85,539 who attended the five Launceston games in 2006.

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