Football 101: If You Want Our Vote, Talk to Us About Football
Local council elections are coming in Tasmania this October.
In the coming months, candidates will begin to put their hands up. They will talk about community, lifestyle, infrastructure, and liveability.
But there is a question football should be asking.
Where do we fit in that conversation?
Because football is not a niche activity. It is not a small interest group.
It is, by participation, Tasmania’s most played team sport.
And yet, after more than two decades working across clubs, associations, and councils, I cannot point to a clear, unified approach from football when it comes to local government elections.
I have worked with multiple councils through my roles with Central Region Junior Football Association, South Hobart Football Club, Morton’s Soccer School and the Hobart Cup.
Good people. Genuine intent.
But no consistent framework from our game about what we are asking for.
No shared language.
No clear set of expectations we put to candidates.
That feels like a gap.
What councils actually control
Councils don’t run football.
But they shape almost everything around it.
They are responsible for:
the grounds we play on
access to those spaces
pitch quality and maintenance
lighting
changerooms and amenities
how spaces are shared
what gets funded, and what doesn’t
They decide whether football is accommodated, tolerated, or properly planned for.
That distinction matters.
A moment worth using
This election cycle gives us something we don’t often use well.
Access.
Candidates are listening.
They are open.
They are looking to understand community priorities.
So the question becomes not just what they will say to us.
But what we are prepared to ask of them.
Participation and investment
Across Tasmania, significant investment has gone into sporting infrastructure over time.
Much of it deserved and well used.
But football continues to grow at participation level, particularly in junior football and in the women’s and girls’ game.
And that growth brings pressure.
On space.
On facilities.
On planning.
This is not about competing with other sports.
It is about ensuring that investment reflects participation, and that planning reflects where the game is heading, not just where it has been.
Girls and women
This is the question that cannot be avoided.
Participation in the women’s and girls’ game continues to grow.
Facilities have not always kept pace.
If we are serious about that growth, then councils need to be part of the solution.
Not reactively.
But through planning.
Through design.
Through recognising that access is not just about having a field, but having a space that feels like it belongs to you.
The six questions
Over the coming months, I will be asking local council candidates across Tasmania the same six questions.
Short. Direct. Answerable.
But not easy to avoid.
How do you see football fitting into your vision for community sport in your council area?
What would you prioritise to improve football facilities locally, including pitches, lighting, and changerooms?
How will you ensure girls and women in football have access to appropriate and equitable facilities?
How should councils balance competing uses of shared spaces, including informal recreation and organised sport?
How will you engage with local football clubs and volunteers when making decisions that affect them?
What does long-term planning for football look like in your area, beyond the next election cycle?
Candidates will be given the opportunity to respond.
If a response is received, it will be published in full.
If no response is received, that will also be noted.
Why we haven’t done this before
Football in Tasmania has become very good at getting on with it.
We organise.
We adapt.
We make things work.
Often without asking for much.
But that comes at a cost.
We act in isolation.
We solve problems locally.
And we rarely present a united, visible position when decisions are being made.
That is not a criticism.
It is a pattern.
And it is one we have an opportunity to shift.
This is where it becomes collective
This cannot just be one voice.
I will be speaking to candidates.
I will be sharing their responses.
Working with Matthew and his platform, Tassie Football Central, we will use that reach to explore how we grow the game and bring these conversations into the open.
But if this is going to mean something, it needs to come from across the state.
From clubs.
From parents.
From volunteers.
From associations.
If you are involved in football anywhere in Tasmania:
Ask the questions.
Send them to your local candidates.
Share the responses. Send them to me. Please let’s work together.
Make football visible in a conversation where it is too often missing.
Why this matters
For a long time, football in Tasmania has been resilient.
Self-sufficient.
Used to working around constraints rather than shaping them.
But participation gives us something we don’t always use.
A voice.
Not loud.
Not aggressive.
But consistent.
And visible.
A small step
This is not about endorsements.
It is not about politics.
It is about making sure that when decisions are made about community spaces, football is deliberately included in that conversation.
Not after.
Not on the margins.
But in the room.
Closing
We have the numbers.
Over the next six months, we’ll find out who is prepared to listen.
And what they are prepared to do.