Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley: “It isn’t a national competition without a Tasmanian team in it”

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Credit: Richard Jupe/Mercury

Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley has been in the job since August 2018, and has had plenty of work cut out for him during a turbulent time in Australian football. He spoke to Soccerscene about his involvement in football, Tasmania’s A-League ambitions, and the future of the game in Australia’s smallest state.

Q. How did you become involved in football?

Bulkeley: I’ve been involved in football all my life, I started playing when I was about six or seven in the Hills district in Sydney. I played football probably until I was about 35, and was involved as a volunteer coaching juniors and seniors. I studied a sports management degree when I finished school and worked for about 10 years in cricket. The opportunity came up for an opportunity with Football Federation Australia in around 2005, and I took that role on and was with the national body for almost eight years. I had some other roles in between before coming back into football in this role. 

Q. What challenges has Football Tasmania faced in recent years?

Bulkeley: We’ve had similar challenges to everyone else in relation to COVID, The interruption of the season, and the need to reconfigure what we had planned to do. We were able to get away a season that was roughly two-thirds of a normal season, we didn’t play all of the normal games. We did get most of our players who ended up playing after the break, which was a good thing. When we did return it was a pretty good season. What our clubs found was that they had good interest, good attendance on game days. People enjoyed themselves, and after that lockdown, it was in a sense even more important people had football to forward to and bring themselves together again. What it did impact was that the National Boy’s Championship didn’t go ahead, so that cohort of players didn’t have that opportunity last year, which was disappointing for them with a bit of gap in their development.

In terms of other challenges, one of our challenges that has been fairly well documented is around facilities. We are the biggest participation sport in Tasmania in terms of team sports, but our facilities have not kept up with that demand. They are dated, they are all a similar age and until recent times that haven’t provided suitable amenities for females in particular, both in terms of the number of change rooms as well as their design. We’ve spent a lot of time in the last couple of years working with all levels of government and our stakeholders to try and unlock more funding in football and had good success with that. There have been commitments of $30 million-plus, maybe closer to $40 million after this last state election, and we are starting to see the fruit from that – better facilities, and more across the state.

Q. Has engaging with state government and politicians been a challenge?

Bulkeley: It has been a challenge, and I think that is because we haven’t been as coordinated as we could have been in our approach, and being able to put forward a needs-based business case on why football needs better and more facilities. We are the biggest sport, we are bursting at the seams, and have facilities that aren’t fit for purpose. On one hand, it was challenging, but on the other the case sort of speaks for itself in terms of outcomes in recent years.

Q. Is a boutique rectangular stadium an aim for Football Tasmania?

Bulkeley: Absolutely, as far as I know, we are the only state capital that doesn’t have a rectangular stadium of any kind. When we have high-level games, including the Western United games, they’ve been played on ovals which as you know isn’t as good of a spectator experience for everyone. It’s really important for our ambitions for having our own A-League and W-League teams, which we are confident will happen. The Liberal state government has been very supportive in recent times under the leadership of premier Gutwein, in terms of supporting those ambitions, and has been very positive around a rectangular stadium. We know that would be very important in terms of that missing link for sport in this state. 

Q. How important would it be to become the first football code to launch a professional team in Tasmania?

Bulkeley: I think it’s just important full stop that we have that pathway opportunity. One of the big benefits we see having a team will provide for males and females in that opportunity locally to play at the highest level in this country without leaving the state. We’ve still got people as young as 14 and their families having to decide to relocate, with half of them staying and half of them going, so this provides a local opportunity for those more aspirational players. Then obviously being the biggest team participation sport it provides that local high-level football opportunity for people to go and watch to get behind. We think we have the football community to support it, but also think it adds value to our community by providing local heroes for our young people to look up to.

Q. What hurdles does Football Tasmania in launching an A-League team?

Bulkeley: It is tied to further expansion to the A-League, and from everything that has been communicated from the APL (Australian Professional Leagues), that will occur. Then it’s working on the infrastructure part of it, ensuring we have government support, and that we work with club owners and put the case for having a Tasmania team forward as a strong environment for a further team to be based. It would add a lot to the competition, and our view has always been that it isn’t a national competition if it doesn’t have a Tasmanian team in it. 

Q. What challenges does Football Tasmania face going forward?

Bulkeley: I think one thing we have worked hard on, in the last period of time, is collaboration. We have and are committed to working very closely with our clubs and associations on the aspirations of football. We know we can only do it together. We’ve made some really good inroads in the infrastructure area. We are working hard on other areas of the game, continuing to grow the game, the female side of the game. We have the highest proportion of female participation of anywhere in the country of almost 29%, which we are very proud of but want to keep building on that. We want to keep providing more opportunities around coach education and development, and similarly with refereeing. So there are lots of opportunities and challenges for us to embrace, but we know we need to work together with our clubs and associations to do that.

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Football Has the Audience. Does It Have the Commercial Strategy?

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Image Credit: One Nil Media

Soccerscene has launched Survey 4: Commercial Confidence in Football, calling on clubs, sponsors, governing bodies, commercial leaders and football industry professionals to assess whether the game is making the most of its enormous commercial potential.

Football has the audience, participation base and community reach to be one of Australia’s most powerful commercial platforms. But does the industry have the commercial strategy, professionalism and infrastructure required to turn that potential into sustainable growth?

That is the question at the centre of Soccerscene’s latest industry research.

The survey examines how attractive grassroots football is to potential commercial partners, what industry professionals believe is limiting football’s commercial potential, and whether clubs are presenting themselves professionally enough to sponsors.

It also explores what sponsors value most when engaging with football – from community reach and participation scale to brand alignment, values and purpose – as well as whether improved facilities could directly contribute to stronger sponsorship outcomes.

Is football fully capitalising on its commercial opportunity?

Football continues to provide brands with access to highly engaged communities across grassroots, community and elite environments. Yet the commercial landscape remains fragmented, with clubs operating with vastly different levels of resources, capability, governance, media infrastructure and commercial expertise.

Soccerscene’s survey is designed to capture the industry’s perspective on where the opportunities exist – and where football may be leaving commercial value on the table.

The research will look specifically at four key areas:

  • Commercial attractiveness – How attractive is grassroots football as a commercial partnership?
  • Commercial barriers – What is holding football back from reaching its full commercial potential?
  • Club professionalism – Are clubs presenting themselves effectively and professionally to sponsors?
  • Sponsor value – What are sponsors really looking for when they invest in football?

The survey also asks whether better facilities would have a direct impact on sponsorship outcomes, highlighting the potential relationship between infrastructure, commercial presentation and investment.

Have your say

Soccerscene is encouraging football clubs, sponsors, commercial professionals, governing bodies, administrators, media professionals and industry stakeholders to participate.

The findings will contribute to Soccerscene’s ongoing program of industry research, designed to provide a clearer picture of the challenges and opportunities facing football and the organisations operating within it.

Take the Survey: Commercial Confidence in Football

Complete the Commercial Confidence in Football Survey here

The survey will close on 30 August 2026 at midnight, with responses received before the deadline included in the final analysis.

Football has the audience. The question is whether it has the commercial strategy to match.

South Melbourne Is Coming for the A-League – And Bill Papastergiadis Wants the ‘Glass Ceiling’ Gone

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Image Credits: South Melbourne FC

South Melbourne is knocking on the A-League’s door again. The four-time National Soccer League champions formally signalled their intention to enter the A-Leagues earlier this month, opening discussions with the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) over potential A-League Men’s and Women’s licences. The timing was significant; the announcement came a day after the APL terminated Western United’s licence.

But South Melbourne’s ambitions are bigger than simply replacing Western United. The club and its co-president, Bill Papastergiadis, believe its recent success has demonstrated that it is ready for professional football once again. South won the inaugural Australian Championship in 2025, is competing professionally in the Oceania Professional League and has continued to make its mark in the Australia Cup, including a 2-1 victory over Adelaide United in July.

Time to open up

For co-president Bill Papastergiadis, however, the push is ultimately about something bigger than South Melbourne.

“The aspirations of South Melbourne, regarding A-League football, are not just a story about South Melbourne. It’s a story for the football public and the football community,” Papastergiadis said.

“It’s a story for all of us because football is a metaphor for life’s aspirations and football revolves around the ability to inspire, to improve, and to succeed.”

Papastergiadis believes the current structure of Australian football has created a ceiling for clubs outside the A-Leagues, one that limits ambition and, ultimately, competition.

“At the moment, the glass ceiling stifles that competition and stifles those aspirations, and at that upper level, and it’s to its detriment,” he said.

South Melbourne’s argument is closely tied to the history of the NSL, when clubs could be promoted and relegated based on their performances rather than being permanently separated into different tiers. Papastergiadis remembers the intensity that came with that system when South resided in the top flight of Australian football.

“I myself remember the intensity of the matches for the clubs that were in the relegation zone. Back then during the National Soccer League,” he said.

“It keeps clubs on their toes. Everyone is engaged when they know that there are ramifications for their actions and conduct. If there are no ramifications for that, how do you have accountability?”

That philosophy sits at the heart of South Melbourne’s A-League push. The club does not simply want to join the existing system; it wants to challenge the idea that the highest level of Australian football should be closed off from the rest of the pyramid. South Melbourne won the inaugural Australian Championship but, unlike in other systems, is not rewarded with top-flight football. The club has continued strongly in 2026, knocking out A-League side Adelaide United in the Australia Cup.

South Melbourne and Bill Papastergiadis celebrate a win in the Australia Cup Image Credits: Bill Papastergiadis

“Where is it in the football dictionary that winning a title doesn’t give you the opportunity to progress within the football pyramid?” Papastergiadis asked.

“All of the matches involving A-League clubs have been incredibly tight, and the majority of them were knocked out in the earlier rounds by numerous NPL clubs.

“So we can compete on the field; our crowds in the Australian Championship were comparable to some of the A-League crowds, quite often far better.”

That, he argues, makes South Melbourne a viable proposition.

“We are a viable option. It’s time to open up football and give it back to the public. The public deserves it, and it belongs to everyone.”

A familiar ambition

This is not the first time South Melbourne has tried to enter the A-League.

The club was overlooked when the competition was established in the mid-2000s and again in 2018, when the licence ultimately went to Western United. The latest attempt therefore carries history. The club that missed out on the opportunity to join the A-League in 2018 is now pursuing a place in the competition following Western United’s exit. But Papastergiadis is reluctant to predict what happens next. For now, South Melbourne has done what it believes it needs to do: start the conversation.

“It’s very early for me to comment on our prospects in relation to the A-League at this point,” he said.

“What we’ve simply done is done the appropriate thing, which is to write to the APL. Advise of our intention, advise of our interest.

“It’s in their hands to tell us if they’re interested in this story, if they’re interested in this outcome, and if they’re interested in this conversation.”

Papastergiadis has already briefly spoken with APL chief executive Steve Rosich, who responded to South Melbourne’s initial approach.

“I had a conversation with Steve Rosich. He responded to our letter immediately, and we spoke on the phone, and it was courteous,” Papastergiadis said.

“We advised of our intention. He thanked us for that. I indicated that we would progress to provide more formal document and he said he’ll wait to see that.

South Melbourne is ready to make their bid Image Credits: Greek Herald

There is no guarantee that South Melbourne will receive a licence, and Papastergiadis is clear that the next step is not entirely in the club’s hands.

“There is no certainty in this process,” Papastergiadis said.

“If you don’t ask, you don’t get. It’s up to Football Australia too, to show us the path forward. We need a path forward, and it’s up to the governing body to also work with us.”

The sustainability for Melbourne

The collapse of Western United has inevitably changed the context around South Melbourne’s bid.

Western United announced that the APL had terminated its participation agreement on August 10, while saying it would seek new ownership and a pathway back into the A-League. The club also emphasised the importance of maintaining a professional football presence in Melbourne’s west and continuing its academy and community programs. South Melbourne is now one of the clubs looking towards the opening created by Western United’s departure. But Papastergiadis does not celebrate another club’s demise.

Western United’s fans are left without an A-League club Image Credits: AAP

“I do want to make the point that I’m not happy about any club folding,” he said.

“I believe in football and in the football product, and I believe in football clubs.

For the players from juniors to senior levels, they must be gutted at Western United. Their administration staff, their coaching staff, they must all be gutted. So I feel for them.”

It is a notable distinction. South Melbourne’s ambition may have been reignited by the circumstances surrounding Western United. But for South there is a new opportunity to add to Melbourne football rather than take something away from it. The prospect of South Melbourne joining Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory in the A-League would immediately raise questions about whether the market could sustain another club.

A benefit to all

Papastergiadis has little doubt and points to Melbourne’s size, sporting culture and existing interest in football as reasons for optimism.

“Absolutely. We won’t cannibalise the football-attending public. We will increase it.” He said.

“There is significant potential within the Melbourne market. We reside in the largest city in Australia, and we reside in the sporting capital of Australia, if not the world.

“We will add to the fabric of football and will increase the attendance through derbies. It’s a positive.”

That is ultimately the argument behind South Melbourne’s latest attempt to break into the A-League. The club believes the benefits would extend beyond Lakeside Stadium. South Melbourne’s recent Australian Championship success, professional status in Oceania and strong performances against A-League opposition strengthen it’s case. NPL clubs can compete at the highest level, even if promotion and relegation remain off the table.

For now, South Melbourne can only wait. The APL and Football Australia will determine whether that football product has earned it a place at the top table. But Papastergiadis believes the question is worth asking, not just for South Melbourne, but for Australian football itself.

“Whatever South can achieve in regards to breaking through that glass barrier, then that’s not just the win for South, but it’s a win for football across the board.”

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