AFL’s Gillon McLachlan says new stadium key to Tasmania’s bid for 19th competition team

AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan has advised that the development of a new stadium in Hobart will be essential for Tasmania’s bid for a standalone team in the competition to be successful.

With the AFL Commission to vote on potential expansion of the competition in August, McLachlan, said that any new club would need a new stadium during a meeting with new Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff in Hobart today.

McLachlan said a new stadium could transform the state, citing the impact that the Adelaide Oval and Optus Stadium in Perth had had on their states’ respective capital cities.

McLachlan told reporters “If you look around this country … and you look at the cities where AFL and other sports (are) being played, you need a stadium that can compete in 2022, or 2025, 2026.

“Whether it’s contingent or however you want to frame it … this team needs and will have a new stadium if it wants a licence.”

McLachlan also confirmed the AFL was only considering issuing a new licence - not relocating one of the 18 current clubs.

His comments follow McLachlan advising last week that a standalone Tasmanian team was still more than a decade away, with him stating “I love Tasmania, I really do. But the biggest challenge in Tasmania is a couple of things - it’s not big enough in absolute terms and it’s not growing.

 “And so it has a challenge supporting an AFL team in it’s own right ... and that’s exacerbated by the fact that the state is split in two. The north hate the south and the south hate the north. So it actually can’t quite support a team.

“Tasmanians are obsessed with football. They should have a team ... but it’s a problem and I can’t see them having their own team for least a decade, which is about as far out as I can look.”

The Tasmanian Government – under former Premier Peter Gutwein –revealed plans for a 27,000 capacity waterfront stadium in Hobart in March.

However, its indicated $750 million cost has since been revealed as indicative at best.

Currently the AFL plays games at University of Tasmania Stadium, formerly known as York Park, in Launceston and Blundstone Arena in Hobart.

Images: Concept for Hobart’s new stadium (top, credit: Philp Lighton Architects) and AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan (below, credit: AFL Media).