Football Has the Numbers. Where Is the Voice?

23 Mar

Growth Is Not a Strategy

After a big weekend of football, games everywhere Saturday and Sunday, I did what I always do on a Monday morning.

Up early. Cup of tea.
Check the scores.

Spurs beaten again.
City about to lift the Carabao Cup unless Arsenal can pull a couple of goals back before I publish this.

Then the local picture.

The Mercury. Socials.
A snapshot of sport across the state.

A politician calling out facilities at North Hobart Oval.
A lot of AFL.
A nod to the Matildas.
Rob Shaw covering the NPL and WSL.

All fair. All expected.

But it also told a story.

The story being told

Because this isn’t just about results.

It’s about who is driving the conversation.

The AFL is everywhere.

It is visible.
It is vocal.
It is pushing its case, over and over again.

Facilities. Investment. Identity.
Relentless.

It feels organised.
It feels deliberate.

It feels like a machine.

And then there’s us

Because football is everywhere too.

Games across the weekend.
Clubs full.
Players turning up in numbers.

We are bigger.
We are growing.

And yet, we are not shaping the conversation.

Not quiet. Absent.

Let’s be honest about it.

The AFL machine is rolling.
Talking itself up, loudly and effectively.

Football?

Not quiet.

Absent.

Growth is not a strategy

We keep repeating the same line.

Football is growing.

And it is.

But growth on its own does nothing.

It doesn’t secure funding.
It doesn’t deliver facilities.
It doesn’t influence decisions.

It just creates pressure.

And that pressure is landing on clubs.

And facilities are not a building

This is where the conversation becomes dangerously narrow.

Facilities have become shorthand for one idea.

A “Home of Football”.

But football doesn’t have one home.

It has hundreds.

Facilities mean:

somewhere to train on a Tuesday night
somewhere to play on a Saturday
lights that actually work
grounds that survive winter
changerooms that reflect the size of the game

One site does not solve that.

Not even close.

Where the system is actually breaking

The pressure isn’t at the top.

It’s the base.

Clubs are:

doubling up teams
squeezing sessions into impossible spaces
managing growth with no additional support
quietly turning players away

That’s the reality.

And it’s happening now.

So where is the strategy?

Not a document.
Not a concept.

A visible, owned strategy.

Because right now, it’s hard to argue one exists in any meaningful public way.

And who is our champion?

The AFL has a voice.

People who show up.
Who speak.
Who push.

Repeatedly.

Football has the numbers.

We are the biggest participation sport in the state.

And yet, we are not the loudest.
Not the most visible.
Not the most influential.

Numbers don’t advocate.

People do.

So who is doing that for football in Tasmania?

Because right now, no one is cutting through

This isn’t about blame.

It’s about reality.

If Football Tasmania is leading this, it isn’t visible.

It isn’t shaping the public conversation.

And that matters.

Because at some point, this becomes a choice

Football is not small.
It is not struggling for participation.
It is not lacking relevance.

So if we are not visible,
if we are not advocating,
if we are not shaping the conversation,

that is no longer circumstance.

That is a choice.

Because silence is still a position

Maybe not an intentional one.

But it is still a position.

Because if you are not shaping the conversation,
you are leaving it to others.

And others are not waiting.

This is the risk

AFL continues to build its case.
To secure its position.
To shape the future.

Football continues to grow.

But without influence.
Without coordination.
Without a clear, public voice.

That’s not sustainable

Growth without strategy becomes strain.

Growth without advocacy becomes missed opportunity.

And growth without leadership becomes drift.

This is the moment

Football has the numbers.

It has the reach.

It has the community.

What it does not currently have is a visible, coordinated, confident voice.

So here it is, plainly

Start the process.
Consult properly.
Set the priorities.

And say it, publicly.

Because this is bigger than a building

Football does not just need a “Home”.

It needs space.

Across the state.

And leadership that understands the difference.

And finally

If we already have a strategy,
show it.

If we already have a champion,
we should be able to hear them.

Because right now, we can’t.

Victoria Morton