While Tasmania debates a proposed $715 million stadium for AFL in Hobart, a tiny island in the middle of Bass Strait is playing for the love of the game.
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King Island, home to about 1600 people, has sustained an Aussie Rules competition for more than a century.
"There aren't many places (our size) ... that have got three teams playing football," King Island Football Association (KIFA) president Jan van Ruiswyk told AAP.
"It gives me a lot of satisfaction, with the population we have, that we've still got footy going."
The league, the smallest and one of the most isolated Aussie Rules competitions in the country, was formed in 1914 and peaked in size with four clubs in the 1950s.
The Currie Robins, representing the island's biggest town, the Grassy Hawks about 25km to the east and the North Bulldogs take part.
Nicole Conley, vice-president of North and the association, believes the sport is about more than just keeping physically fit.
"It's a chat, it's a break from the farm. Mental health (issues) in isolated communities are quite high," she said.
Game day at Currie Oval, a pristine white-picket-fenced ground not far from the main street, features Auskick, juniors and a seniors match.
Utes and cars surround the field, the manual scoreboard is tended beer-in-hand and mayor Marcus Blackie is one of the on-field umpires.
Van Ruiswyk, who moved to the island in the 1970s when his parents bought a dairy farm, is on the boundary taking photographs and video for highlights packages he posts online.
He once played for now-defunct Mt Stanley before making the switch to Grassy, describing rivalries back in the day as "fierce".
Despite its remoteness, King Island has sent more than 20 players to the VFL and AFL.
Grassy junior Barry Brooks played 10 games for St Kilda from 2003-07, while Angus Graham was drafted No.5 in 2006 and went on to notch 48 appearances for Richmond.
As with most community sports, the competition has struggled for players in recent years, forcing the association to allow 12-a-side senior games.
It also relies heavily on volunteers to keep things running.
"The only people who get paid are our umpires and our secretary gets an honorarium. No players get paid," van Ruiswyk said.
A planned roofed stadium in Hobart, a condition of the AFL granting Tasmania a licence for entry into the competition in 2028, has split community and political opinion.
Conley says the money would be better spent on improving health services, while van Ruiswyk indicates the King Island mood is mixed.
"I really like the idea (of) getting a side. I think it's good," he said.
"I just find it a bit difficult to understand why part of the reason for having a team is (needing to have) a stadium."
Kelsey Watts, secretary for the association, said the competition is aiming to diversify sponsorship after a major contributor pulled out recently.
She notes an uptick in the involvement of girls at junior level and hopes one day King Island can introduce a women's league.
In 2012, AFL Tasmania inducted KIFA in the state's hall of fame for its unique and long-standing contribution to the sport.
Then-AFL Tasmania chief executive Scott Wade said Aussie Rules on King Island reflected the strength of the national game and helped communities stay strong through tough times.
"It would be sad if there was no football on King Island," Conley said.
"A lot of people say it means a lot to them."
This AAP article was made possible with the support of the Meta Australian News Fund and The Walkley Foundation.
Australian Associated Press
