It’s official – Tasmania will become the 19th AFL team. The ‘missing piece’ – the federal government – came to the party recently. And so on Wednesday May 3, it was confirmed.
Tasmania will have its own AFL team; it’s finally confirmed.
It’s been a tough ride for the southern state and a tough story for fans to follow; a journey involving mountains of dry news updates about stadium funding.
But the big kicker came recently; the federal government are committing the $240m that was the missing piece of the stadium funding puzzle. From there, it became only a formality for the AFL to sign off on the state gaining the League’s 19th licence.
That cash will be put towards the estimated grand total of $715m that it’ll take to build a pristine, waterfront sporting arena in Hobart. And that’s what the AFL needed ticked off before granting the state a team.
In November, there was an ‘in-principle agreement’ between state premier Jeremy Rockliff and outgoing AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan, which outlined the path forward.
So let’s unpack exactly where it’s all at after this latest development.
AFL team in Tasmania: Where’s it at?
Much of the initial discussion around a Tassie AFL team earlier last year was in relation to how much funding the state government was willing to provide. Those questions were answered months ago.
There was an original commitment of $12 million per year over 12 years, with an additional $60 million invested to develop a high-performance and administration complex.
The stadium sticking point has been solved
In an open letter to the state’s football community, the CEO confirmed that’s what was then holding this all back from confirmation was the additional $240m that was needed. Well Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s trip to Tassie and subsequent announcement has put that wait to an end.
Now that the federal government has confirmed it’ll chip in, the project is confirmed.
The AFL will now pledge $360 million and approve the 19th license. The next question is the timeline.
“In order for it to happen, Tassie needs to have a new stadium – a world-class facility that will be the epicentre of a broader urban renewal development at Macquarie Point,” McLachlan wrote.
“The AFL clubs have made it clear they won’t support a new license without a stadium. A new stadium that players want to play at, coaches want to coach at, accommodating 5,000 AFL fans travelling from interstate locations each week, with a fan experience they are accustomed to, would underpin the success of the club.
“The new club needs to be positioned to thrive from the start and long into the future, not set up to fail. New or fully redeveloped stadiums were a pre-requisite for Gold Coast Suns and GWS Giants prior to entry in the AFL competition. To be clear this is not and has never been just a Tasmanian requirement.”
The stadium’s prospective location is Macquarie Point, on Hobart’s waterfront, and the proposed cost to build it could be as much as $750 million.
“With the benefits [this stadium] will deliver [the state], it’s a no-brainer,” premier Rockliff tweeted.
“We are committed to activating Macquarie Point as an arts, entertainment and sporting precinct with a boutique stadium – the home of the Tasmanian Devils – at its heart.”
When will Tassie enter the AFL?
The AFL is expected to formalise the deal in the coming days. Then there will be a plan rolled out.
Hazarding a guess, 2024 is too soon. So too 2025. For reference, the Dolphins in the NRL turned it around from announcement to the club’s first official match in under two years. To be fair, that process all felt a little rushed, even if the side has been able to enjoy success on the field already.
It’s a different kettle of fish building a competitive AFL list also; a process that is far from being finalised and will be fairly complex. It’ll mostly happen through the next several national drafts, primarily. That means it’s a bad time to be bad; Tassie will get first dibs on a lot of the talent and best national prospects.
But with the new stadium not expected to be completed until around 2029, will the new team enter the comp before then? It’s likely, but how much sooner is the question.
What comes next in the AFL’s expansion vision?
Once Tassie becomes official, the League will expand to 19 teams. It then becomes feasible that by 2030, the AFL would reach 20 teams, with another region represented.
Canberra would be loud in its bid to join the league, but key stakeholders like SEN’s Craig Hutchison are of the belief that the Northern Territory have the best chance of coming next. There is strong Aussie Rules participation in the NT and an AFL team based in Darwin would certainly help to consolidate and solidify the sport as the primary football code.
The reality is, this announcement is massive for footy down there. While football involvement in Tassie remains strong, it’s not rising. This will change all that.
Basketball interest in the state, however, has reportedly gone up sharply off the back of the JackJumpers’ early success; Basketball Tas has said it needs 26 new indoor courts to keep up with growing participation.
The longer this drags on, the more erosion. It’s time for the AFL to take control of the narrative.
