Who Actually Decides Who Leads Tasmanian Football?

8 May

Written By Victoria Morton

After looking at how the AGM works, I found myself coming back to one question.

Who actually decides the formal direction of football in Tasmania?

Because when you look closely, the voting group is much smaller than most people would imagine.

The Members

Under the structure of Football Tasmania, voting rights sit with Members.

In simple terms, those Members are made up of:

clubs
recognised associations
and standing committees

Each Member holds one vote.

Who are the Members?

To make this more tangible, it helps to look at who those Members actually are.

Based on the information provided in the AGM papers and a list provided by the CEO of FT, the current Members include:

Recognised Associations

Central Region JSA
Devonport JSA
Eastern Region JSA
Northern Suburbs JSA
NTJSA
Western Schools Soccer Association

Clubs

Barnstoneworth United
Brighton Storm
Burnie United
Clarence Zebras Football Club
Devonport City Strikers FC
DOSA
Glenorchy Knights
Hobart City FC
Hobart United
Huon Valley
Kingborough Lions
Launceston City
Launceston United Soccer
Metro
Nelson Eastern Suburbs
New Norfolk Soccer Club
New Town Eagles
North Launceston Eagles
North Launceston Eagles Junior Soccer Club
Northern Rangers
Olympia FC Warriors
Phoenix Rovers
Riverside Olympic
Somerset Soccer Club
South East United FC (TAS)
South Hobart Football Club
Southern Football Club
Southern Raiders Junior Soccer Club
Taroona Soccer Club
Ulverstone Soccer Club
University Football Club

Standing Committees

Referee Standing Committee

What stands out

Football in Tasmania involves tens of thousands of people.

But the formal outcomes of the AGM are decided by this relatively small group of Members.

That is not necessarily unusual in governance terms.

But it is worth understanding.

Proxies matter

Not every Member attends the AGM in person.

Some appoint proxies to vote on their behalf.

Looking at the 2025 AGM provides an interesting snapshot of how governance participation works in practice.

Of the 33 Members listed in the financial report:

14 were recorded as attending
10 were represented by proxy
leaving 9 not represented

Which again highlights how the formal outcomes of the AGM can ultimately be shaped by a relatively small group.

And because nominations for President are only formally advised 24 hours before the AGM, those proxy decisions may need to be finalised within a very compressed timeframe.

Representation and distance

The system is built on representation.

Players elect club committees.
Clubs and associations become Members.
Members vote at the AGM.

That is the pathway from the weekend game to the boardroom.

The question is not whether that structure is valid.

The question is how connected people feel to it.

Membership in practice

Another interesting aspect of the structure is membership itself.

The financial report lists 33 Members of Football Tasmania, with annual membership subscriptions applying through the constitution and governance structure.

Which raises a practical question around timing and process.

For example, CRJFA had not received a membership invoice at the time AGM notices and papers were distributed.

That may well be entirely consistent with the normal process and timing of invoicing.

But it does highlight how difficult these structures can sometimes be for ordinary participants in the game to fully understand.

The broader question

Football in Tasmania is not just the people listed above.

It is players.
Parents.
Volunteers.
Coaches.
Referees.

People involved every weekend across the state.

So perhaps the bigger question is this:

outside the AGM itself, how does the Board consistently hear from the wider game?

In the final post, I’ll look at how timing, process and structure combine to shape decisions

and why governance can sometimes feel distant from the people actually participating in the game

Victoria Morton