THE North Hobart Oval is considered by many - especially those south of the divide - to be the ancestral home of Tasmanian footy.
As well as VFL, TFL, interstate and intrastate matches, North Hobart has hosted ANFC carnivals and was briefly a home away from home for Fitzroy when it was in its AFL death throes in the early to mid-1990s.
Its quaint 1940's style charm resonates in the Horrie Gorringe Stand and the terraces, where fans feel so close to the players they can almost reach out and touch them.
It's the oval where John Devine and John Bingley used to punch the living daylights out of each other in front of big TFL crowds, where the dog buried the sav in a sea of mud at the 1947 national carnival and where Tasmania upset Victoria in 1990 with a side which included several AFL reserves players.
Alas, quaint old grounds cannot survive on memories of their salad days at a time when players, officials and spectators demand first class facilities on both sides of the fence.
North Hobart can satisfy the Southern Premier League's needs as well as those of the Regional League and the Old Scholars at grand final time.
But could it host a VFL final there next year if the up-and-down Devils were to recapture their form of 2004 when they were only one game away from playing in the grand final?
And does it have the facilities to be home to the Tasmania Football Club, the North Hobart Football Club and the administration of AFL Tasmania?
As things stand now, no it doesn't.
North Hobart's ageing drainage system is inadequate when the winter rains set in and last Saturday's clash there between the Devils and Werribee in front of 2442 hardy souls finished in near darkness before the training lights were switched on just before the final siren.
Talk about shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Also needed is better undercover seating as well as bar and eating facilities.
Relations between AFL Tasmania and the Hobart City Council have improved considerably since the council sued the then Football Tasmania for breach of contract over playing the 2000 grand final between North Launceston and Clarence at what was then York Park.
But unless the council spends several million to upgrade North Hobart or the TCA is prepared to open up Bellerive Oval to VFL matches on a regular basis, then the Devils could well relocate north to Aurora Stadium.
By David Stockdale
Last Modified on 15/06/2005 08:39