AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou has conceded that Tasmania deserves a team in the competition, but that it won't be in the place of proposed new teams on the Gold Coast or in western Sydney.

The push for Australia's smallest state to be given a team in the AFL has gained considerable momentum in recent months, with the Tasmanian government backing a possible bid.

The AFL has said until now that its expansion plans remain at just two more teams, but Demetriou has refused to rule out the possibility of a Tasmanian team in the league.

"They probably do deserve a team. We shouldn't dismiss the contribution that Tasmania's made to our game. But the Commission has made a decision that the 17th licence will be awarded to the Gold Coast and the 18th licence will be awarded to Western Sydney. It's not a competition for the 18th licence," he said.

"We've repeated to the Tasmanian government, we welcome their submission, they are absolutely entitled to put forward their proposal. But the commission has already decided where the 17th and 18th teams are going. I can't speak for what may happen down the track, or look into a crystal ball. If Tasmania could play a role in the future of the competition, that would be a good thing."

"Who knows what may happen in the future and you can never say never."

But he said that the AFL's focus was firmly on the implementation of the two new teams, Gold Coast in 2011 and Sydney in 2012.

Meanwhile, Demetriou, who met with over 50 club directors on Tuesday as part of the consultative process about the implementation of the two new teams, said that he believes the financial future of an 18-team competition is secure despite a global economic downturn

"It's absolutely true that there is a global downturn in the economy. We should all be very careful about that. We're doing a risk impact around some sensitivities about what may or may not happen as part of our general business," he said.

"What I will say.....is that the AFL are now a debt free organisation. We have also put $82 million into a future fund from our last broadcast rights to protect ourselves against this very issue. We've got long-term agreements in place, we've got secured revenues, we've just extended Toyota for an extra three years. Our revenue streams are secure."

"We're very mindful and very prepared and we think we're well-positioned to capitalise on the opportunities that are out there."