sport, local-sport,

The consortium behind Tasmania’s push for an A-League team is going on the attack. Melbourne businessman Robert Belteky will front a press conference in Hobart on Thursday to answer questions about the bid. It is understood he will also meet with representatives of the Tasmanian Government to discuss various aspects of the proposal including venues. The consortium is believed to have shifted its focus away from North Hobart Oval with Bellerive Oval likely to be the team’s primary base with the intention of also playing some games at UTas Stadium in Launceston. Tasmania’s former pro player David Clarkson said the consortium believes it can present a compelling case to Football Federation Australia, which has stated a desire to increase the national league from 10 teams. “We are getting our ducks in a row to be ready when the FFA criteria comes up,” Clarkson said. “We expect that to include a stadium, other infrastructure, finance and how the bid helps grow the competition. “We feel we have a really solid foundation and if we can continue to add more layers to that we will be in a very strong position.” The team believes other interested parties like South Melbourne, Wollongong, Ipswich, Geelong and the Sutherland Shire are lacking in either finance or facilities. “A number of consortiums are waiting to find out what will be needed but unless there’s a lot going on behind the scenes, there’s not a lot there,” Clarkson said. While Belteky is the face of the bid, the financial clout comes from his fellow former Melbourne Victory shareholder Harry Stamoulis, but the wealthy property investor cannot be present at Thursday’s press conference. The current make up of the league includes two teams each from Melbourne and Sydney and two more from regional NSW plus Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide as well as Wellington in New Zealand. Teams play 27 fixtures before the finals series. While the consortium is keen to investigate playing matches in Launceston to enhance the team’s statewide appeal, it has yet to meet with UTas Stadium managers. Melbourne Victory played a series of annual fixtures at the city’s AFL venue from 2006, attracting crowds of up to 8061 for pre-season friendlies, mostly against Adelaide United. Victory eventually hosted a couple of A-League roster games in Launceston, against Gold Coast United (5268) and Central Coast Mariners (6238) in 2012 and ’13 respectively.

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