When The Codes Clash
The World Cup
If Australia’s bid to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups is successful, then the AFL may find it’s self with up to an eight week hiatus, as the nations best stadiums will be needed to accommodate the masses of the world.
Launceston’s Aurora stadium has emerged as a venue to play AFL games at if the larger main land stadiums are needed for World Cup duties.
Aurora Stadium manager Robert Groenewegen said yesterday:
We’ve been toying with the idea of being a training base for one of the teams during the World Cup, But we think, given all the major venues in Melbourne that will be tied up, it would actually be better for us to steer clear of that.
Potentially that would mean that we could host a series of (AFL) games throughout that time.
We’ve not yet had any discussions with the AFL, but if they came to us and said, ‘In the advent of this happening, would you be available?’, that’s the other element that we would have to consider.
Football Federation of Australia chief executive Ben Buckley, has met with the AFL to discuss options and one of the options was the AFL could take this opportunity to take games to other cities & towns.
More AFL football in Tasmania would be a great idea, but lets not limit it to just Aurora Stadium. Bellerive with the new lights should be another option. Let’s not stop there, why shouldn’t we try for a World Cup game under lights at either Aurora or Bellerive.
If the Tasmanian bid for a Team in the A-League is fair dinkum, then they and the state government should push for at least one game to be played in the state if Australia is successful. Even if it was Ivory Coast against Slovenia.
Andrew Demitriou may regret the time he refused Tasmania an AFL team, when all our kids are kicking the round ball.
