PwC Chief Executive backs proposed Darwin stadium in support of Northern Territory AFL team

The proposal for a new $300 million Darwin city stadium to support the Northern Territory’s bid to enter the AFL has been backed by Tom Seymour, Chief Executive of consultants PwC Australia.

In a recent visit to Darwin to meet with senior local government officials and private sector figures, Seymour shared his view that if the Northern Territory is to achieve its gross state product target of $40 billion by 2030 it would need to consider lifestyle factors in attracting a stable workforce.

Seymour stated “to get families to move here you need schools and hospitals, but you also need lifestyle and recreation.

“A facility like a stadium is a great investment. If you look at it as a linear investment it doesn’t stack up, but it does if you want to create an environment where you attract people here. Lang Park in Brisbane, Adelaide (Oval and Perth’s) Optus Stadium - they were all criticised and were a struggle, yet not one of those projects is seen as a failure.”

Earlier this year, the AFLNT released concept designs for the proposed 25,000 seat multi-sports stadium to be built on the edge of the Darwin CBD along McMinn Street diagonally opposite Frog Hollow Park, which would double the existing capacity of the suburban TIO Stadium and be constructed within 10 years to coincide with the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

With AFLNT having engaged PwC to complete a strategic assessment as part of the project’s next step, Larrakia Development Corporation Chief Executive, Nigel Browne stated “there has been nothing but positive feedback from people all over the Territory and all walks of life, who see the positivity in this type of vision.

“At the end of the day it’s something that will add to the lifestyle, sporting community and the fabric of Darwin, particularly when you look at other capital cities around Australia and the stadiums they have developed over many years.”

The chief purpose of the proposed stadium would be to support a locally-based AFL franchise, with the Northern Territory emerging as a contender for the next AFL licence in the wake of the feasibility report into a Tasmanian expansion club conducted by Boston Consulting Group’s Australian co-founder and former senior partner Colin Carter earlier this year.

Funded by the Northern Territory government, brand strategy consultancy Bastion EBA has conducted its own study into an Northern Territory-based team.

Operating shortfall for Northern Territory AFL team
While the resulting report concluded an annual $15 million operating shortfall due to the Northern Territory’s relatively small population, it emphasises the huge social and economic benefits a local team would deliver in areas such as health, education and crime reduction, worth potentially in the range of $460 million per year.

A top-flight team driven by social impact, Bastion noted, would be unprecedented in Australian and possibly global professional sports.

AFLNT Chairman Sean Bowden further noted the potential impact on nurturing local talent, especially in remote communities, stating “a Territory-own AFL Team will be a pathway and inspiration to our young people, a source of community pride and a major stimulus to the economy.”

Going on to highlight elite past players from the Northern Territory, Bowden “we want them to play in front of home crowds made up of friends, family and countrymen.”

More recently, a taskforce has been assembled to further the ambition of establishing a local team, which includes among others co-chairs Bowden and Northern Territory Sports Minister Kate Worden, along with Browne and former Melbourne Football Club Chief Executive Peter Jackson, who many Demons fans consider the chief architect in laying the initial foundations for the Demon’s recent premiership triumph after 57 years in the wilderness.

The mandate for the taskforce will be to identify and further explore “opportunities that could underpin a team not only competing, but being sustainable and inspiring our young people by achieving high levels of success both on and off the field.”

With its final report due toward the end of next year, Bowden concludes “we know that when the opportunity for an AFL licence becomes available, the Territory needs to be ready.”

Images: Artist’s impressions of the proposed AFL Stadium in Darwin.