TASSIE PUTS CASE
SUMS ADD UP: REPORT DISMISSES MONEY CONCERNS
AN AFL team for Tasmania stacks up financially, according to a State Government-backed report that debunks myths around the proposed venture.
A five-year plan for the Tasmanian Devils Football Club to enter the AFL in 2025, plus proposed costings, have been laid out by a specialist taskforce.
“We strongly believe the case stands on its own . . . it can stack up,” taskforce chairman and former Virgin Australia chief executive Brett Godfrey said yesterday.
“They deserve it, not because of heart-on-the-sleeve stuff . . . but because every impediment has been addressed.
“Nobody can say Tasmania doesn’t have a team because of Tasmania. This does debunk all of that.”
An initial investment of $45 million, split between the AFL and Federal and State governments, would be required to cover the initial set up of the club, the report suggests.
From there, the State Government would underwrite the team by $11 million a year, safeguarding the AFL from “another Greater Western Sydney, North Melbourne or Gold Coast Suns scenario”.
The state invests $8 million a year to host eight Hawthorn and North Melbourne men’s fixtures and two AFLW games.
A Tasmanian side would add $110 million to the state’s economy each year and create more than 360 jobs, the report says.
Premier Peter Gutwein and Godfrey will continue to push the case with the AFL.
The AFL is reviewing the report and will respond at an appropriate time, a spokeswoman said.
Hobart-born Richmond star Jack Riewoldt has thrown his support behind the bid.
“We really don’t know when it will come but with the talent down there and the love for the game, it’s a no-brainer,” Riewoldt said.
“I don’t think the retention of players will be an issue. Plenty of kids come from regional parts and there are some amazing things to do in Tasmania.”
Hobart would be the likely team base, with blockbuster matches to be held at Launceston’s UTAS Stadium, which would be upgraded to 27,000 seats.
The report warned the popularity of AFL was falling in Tasmania and the sport would no longer be the state’s most played in 2030.
“I hope for the sake of the game that they determine protecting a core AFL heartland is a good business decision,” Godfrey said.
Tasmania’s deals to host North Melbourne and Hawthorn matches expire at the end of 2021. Gutwein has flagged “transitional deals” with the clubs between then and 2025.