Tigers launch with rockstar roar JAMES BRESNEHAN
The Mercury
August 15, 2013 JUST like rockstars Pink, Eminem and Beyonce, the TSL's newest side will also go by one name -- Tigers.
The Kingborough Tigers Football Club was launched at the Twin Ovals today by AFL Tasmania.
It announced that Kingborough's current SFL coach, Adam Henley, was the Tigers' new senior TSL coach.
An attractive new jumper -- akin to AFL club Richmond's NAB Cup guernsey -- was unveiled and it was revealed the team would be the Tigers on all promotional gear as well as the roster.
"It is going to be promoted as Tigers," said AFL Tasmania CEO Scott Wade.
"When you pick up the State League fixture, when you see the ladder, the State League component of this big football club is going to be promoted as the Tigers.
"So you are not going to see Kingborough or Huon's name in any marketing material or ladder or fixture.
"We've done a lot of research and worked particularly closely with the Richmond Fooball Club, and obviously when youngsters are growing up one of the first things they learn about is the tiger."The word Tigers will be the main logo, and used also on some sub-brand logos on polo tops and caps and a whole bunch of marketing.
"It's an exciting initiative.
"I tried to get them to go with a couple of different colours, but they said no. For 130 years black and gold has been synonymous with this football club and we're happy to go along with that."
The Tigers will represent the state's region south of Hobart.
"Whilst the licence will be held by the Kingborough Tigers Football Club, we stress it's Kingborough/Huon," Wade said.
"This is about Kingborough and Huon and the football communities of Kingston, Channel, Cygnet, Kermandie, Franklin and Huonville all working together to provide an opportunity for the best 22 players of the community to represent the region.
"It's just being led and managed by the Kingborough Tigers footy club."
Tigers football director Rodney Herweynen said Henley was the right fit as coach.
"We are really confident he brings all of the right things to our footy club for our move into the State League," Herweynen said.
Aaron Vince is Henley's senior assistant coach and the club is also on the hunt for two playing assistant coaches.
Stewart Archer is development league (reserves) coach and Shaun Sartori fitness coach.
"Aaron is one of the most meticulous people I've ever met and he will be an amazing help to Adam, who is the consummate football thinker," Herweynen said.
"Stewart is a life member of our club, he played over 240 senior games and three premierships, and he is one of the best developers of young men I've ever seen and he will be fantastic as our development league coach.
"We are really looking forward to the players he will send through our system.
"We believe we have a fantastic coaching panel.
"We are really excited about where we are going and these people are certainly the right guys to take us into the State League."
Making sure the Tigers have the right coaching structure was really important, Wade said.
"This club wants to build from the bottom up -- it's all about the kids in the Kingborough and Huon area and giving them the best opportunity to play at the highest possible level," he said.
"Clarence, Burnie and Launceston are the benchmarks in terms of coaching structures, and we think it's very important that building and developing coaching structures from within your own club is very important.
"The old days of recruiting coaches in from outside are gone. Recruiting and developing within is clearly best practice."
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2013/08/15/385705_afl.html
