Every League Must Have a Purpose

13 July

"The restoration of the regional leagues has, I think, restored and underpinned the success of the various Premier Leagues. I think having teams play in the region week in, week out, making it easier for volunteers, making it easier for families and supporters to follow their team, getting back into the habit of going to football every weekend is really important.
There is a purpose to regional leagues and I don't think there's a purpose to a statewide league."
— David O'Byrne, Southern Football League President, The Mercury, July 2026.

I read those comments in The Mercury this morning and stopped.

Not because David O'Byrne was talking about Australian Rules football.

Because he could just as easily have been talking about football.

For the record, David O'Byrne and I don't always see eye to eye. I support the Tasmania Devils every bit as much as he does. The Macquarie Point stadium is where our opinions part company. But none of that stopped me nodding along as I read his comments this morning. When he spoke about regional competitions, volunteers, supporters and club days, I couldn't help thinking he could just as easily have been talking about football. And I also couldn't help wishing football had someone championing our clubs with the same passion he champions his game.

Today, I find myself agreeing with him.

Not because regional competitions are perfect.

But because he asked a question football in Tasmania perhaps hasn't asked for a very long time.

What Is the Purpose?

What is the purpose of the State League in Tasmania in 2026?

That's not the same as asking whether it's a good competition.

Or whether the standard is high.

Or whether clubs have worked incredibly hard to be part of it.

The question is much simpler.

What purpose does it serve today?

David O'Byrne said every league must have a purpose.

I think that's a question football should be asking too.

Can We Raise Standards Without the NPL?

If the purpose is to qualify for the Australia Cup, regional competitions can still provide that pathway.

If the purpose is raising standards, why does that require three letters?

Football Tasmania doesn't need an NPL to drive standards.

It can establish Championship club licensing.

It can set coaching requirements.

It can insist on youth development.

It can regulate visa players.

It can require sound governance.

It can encourage home-grown players.

Standards don't come from three letters.

They come from leadership.

And if the football calendar needs more meaningful football, create another cup competition.

Give clubs another trophy to chase.

Give supporters another reason to come through the gate.

There are ways to strengthen football without sending clubs from one end of Tasmania to the other every second weekend.

I Once Fought for the Victory League

Years ago, when the Victory League was introduced, South Hobart fought fiercely to be part of it.

I remember sitting before what felt like a terrifying interview panel, presenting our club and making the case that South Hobart deserved its place.

We wanted it.

We believed in it.

We worked incredibly hard to earn it.

I don't regret any of that.

But looking back now, I realise there was one question I never asked.

What was the purpose?

Good administrators shouldn't be afraid to revisit yesterday's decisions when today's circumstances are different.

Football changes.

Communities change.

The financial landscape changes.

The way talented players are identified has changed dramatically.

Asking whether a competition structure still serves the game isn't admitting it failed.

It's simply good governance.

Let's Talk About Saturdays

Imagine a football club's perfect home day.

The Under 18s kick off.

The reserves follow.

The Championship match finishes the afternoon.

Or in the women's game, Youth Girls, then Under 18s, then Championship.

One opposition club.

One venue.

Families stay all day because there is always another game to watch.

Young players can see exactly where the pathway leads.

Sponsors have people walking through the gate from morning until late afternoon.

The canteen is busy.

The clubhouse is alive.

That's a genuine club day.

Now compare that with what we often have now.

South Hobart travels to Ulverstone.

Kingborough heads to Devonport.

Launceston City heads to KGV.

A handful of loyal supporters make the trip.

Many others follow the scores on their phone.

Or watch the livestream from home.

Livestreaming has been fantastic for people who genuinely can't get to games.

But let's not pretend it hasn't changed behaviour.

If the game is available on the lounge room television, there is less incentive for many people to drive to the ground.

That means fewer people through the gate.

Fewer coffees sold.

Fewer raffle tickets bought.

Fewer conversations around the clubhouse.

Fewer kids kicking a football behind the goals while waiting for Mum or Dad to finish playing.

The game is still being watched.

But it isn't always being experienced.

And that's a loss community football should never ignore.

The Cost Nobody Wants to Talk About

Then there is the cost.

Not just the dollars.

The travel.

The administration.

The compliance.

The endless work required to maintain NPL status.

It's a fucking shit load of work. I know because I did the club licencing for both NPL and WSL for years.

When clubs are paying nomination/licence fees of more than $20,000 simply to be part of the NPL while Championship clubs pay around $2,800, it's fair to ask what they are actually buying.

Volunteers Are the Real Pathway

We spend millions of words talking about developing players.

We spend almost none talking about retaining volunteers.

Yet without volunteers there are no players, no pathways and no competitions.

They're the people opening clubrooms before the first game, marking lines, organising teams, cooking the barbecue, washing shirts, balancing budgets and locking the gates long after everyone else has gone home.

Every decision we make about football should make their lives easier, not harder.

Give Me a Club Day

I'd swap those three letters for another fifty people through the gate every second Saturday without a second thought.

I'd rather see clubs spending an entire day together than spending an entire day on the road.

One venue.

One opposition.

Youth football.

Reserves.

Championship.

The canteen buzzing.

The clubhouse full.

Kids staying to watch the seniors.

Senior players arriving early to watch the youngsters.

That's community football.

That's what our clubs were built on.

Time for an Honest Conversation

This isn't an attack on Football Tasmania.

It's an invitation to have an honest conversation.

Tasmania has a small population.

A limited playing base.

A finite number of volunteers.

Limited sponsorship.

Limited money.

Perhaps the structure that served football twenty years ago isn't necessarily the structure that best serves football today.

Perhaps it is.

But we should at least be prepared to ask the question.

David O'Byrne was talking about Australian Rules football.

Today, I think he asked a question football should be asking too.