Western United has partnered with the Tasmanian Government and Football Tasmania to bring A-League football to Tasmania.
The expansion into Tasmania is a significant one, with the club excited to play two home game fixtures at York Park in Launceston during both the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons.
“We are excited to make Tasmania green and black,” said Western United CEO Chris Pehlivanis.
“We were presented with an opportunity to work with the Tasmanian Government and Football Tasmania to not only showcase Western United’s brand of football but to bring the A-League to the state.”
The partnership will also include a women’s exhibition match between Calder United Soccer Club and a local Tasmanian representative team, as well as community football initiatives. The vision for 2022 includes a W-League fixture as part of a broader festival of football in the state.
“The philosophy of Western United has always been to ‘dream big’ and we believe the partnership reflects this. The shared values of being self-made and hardworking naturally align both the people from Victoria’s west and the Tasmanian community.
“In addition to growing the game of football at a grass roots level in Tasmania, our ambition is to also work with tourism bodies in Australia to give the industry a much-needed boost after a difficult 2020 and start to 2021 with Covid-19 lockdowns and border closures.
“We see sport as being in the business of entertainment, and entertainment and tourism go hand-in-hand.
Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley said the announcement marked an exciting step forward for the World Game in Tasmania.
“With close to 40,000 participants, football is Tasmania’s most-played team sport and continues to rise in popularity, especially among junior players,” Mr Bulkeley said.
“The next step in growing the sport in Tasmania is to increase the A-League’s presence, and partnerships like this are integral to maintaining football’s position as Tasmania’s most-played team sport.
“On behalf of the Tasmanian football community, I’d like to thank Western United and the State Government for bringing the A-League back to Tasmania.”
Western United members who have purchased full season memberships will be offered the opportunity to attend two away games in Victoria against Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City as replacement games. Western United has selected these two blockbuster games in a show of good faith and as a way of saying thank you to loyal Western United fans.
Memberships for Western United are on sale. Be part of the green and black family here.
