Tasmania will be the AFL’s latest expansion attempt, with the Apple Isle being granted the league’s 19th license.
But 19 is a weird number for a sporting competition, so the question now is where team no.20 should be located.
We surveyed the masses in our AFL Fan Survey and after thousands of votes we have a clear fan-favourite for just that!
We asked: If Tasmania is No.19, where should AFL team No.20 be?
55 per cent of respondents believe Darwin should be granted the license.
The Northern Territory has produced some incredible AFL talent over the years including Nathan Buckley, the Rioli, Long, Motlop, Burgoyne and Davey families, Andrew McLeod, Joel Bowden and many more.
The likes of McLeod and Bowden have campaigned hard for an AFL license in Darwin, with the former telling SEN in 2022 that he feels the NT gets forgotten about in these discussions.
“I think it’s great for the Northern Territory to have that aspiration of playing in the big league,” McLeod told SEN.
“I think as a Territory, we tend to get forgotten about a little bit … If you look across the board, I think we bat way above our average in terms of providing talent.
“I think it’s great to keep that dream alive. We’ve got some great role models, great story, great history and why not? Why can’t we have one?”
Bowden meanwhile has become a politician in the Northern Territory and told SEN in 2021 that they are absolutely vying for an AFL license.
“I think when they decide to expand and let’s just say they go to 20 in 10 years, I think what you’ll find is that crowds and population is less of an incentive,” Bowden said.
“This will have a social impact. This will permeate through the entire Territory. “We’re not just talking about bums on seats anymore. We’re talking about eyeballs. You can watch a whole game on your tablet or your phone.”
A third team in Western Australia was the next most selected response, closely followed by the nation’s capital Canberra.
Given the enormous wait list for West Coast memberships and the consistently strong crowds across what was a dismal 2023 season, there is clearly enough interest for a third team in W.A.
See the full results below:
If Tasmania is No.19, where should AFL team No.20 be?
Darwin – 55.3%
3rd West Australian team – 15.9%
Canberra – 14%
3rd South Australian team – 10.3%
3rd Queensland team – 2.8%
3rd New South Wales team – 1.7%
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