With both Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury firmly in the crisis club category, it has reopened the debate about the right time to add numbers to the competition and just how many should be included.

Melbourne Heart join the fray next season with Sydney Rovers to follow the year after. Tasmania wants to follow them and bid leader John McGirr told au.fourfourtwo.com today that events in Townsville and the Gold Coast had simply made the desire for inclusion stronger than ever.

"There might be a cautious approach from the FFA (on further expansion) but I think it would be unfair to simply say that all new clubs will struggle," he said. "They should judge each case on its merits.

"We remain firmly of the belief that Tasmania would be a valuable addition to the competition and we've done our market research to back that up.

"I believe the competition needs us as much as we want in."

McGirr and his bid team received a boost recently with $80,000 of government funding to pay for a business case for the bid.

That will allow Tasmania to take another important step forward in the quest for A-League football with the hope that any push would be underwritten by the government.

And should Tasmania succeed, it will not be a one-man show on the ownership front.

McGirr added: "I think it would be a case of maybe three to four investors and also a public float of shares to allow the fans to be part of it."