Capacity of DEC not seen as issue

IT is not the size of the venue, but the experience for those attending that matters most, says NBL owner Larry Kestelman.

His masterplan for the Derwent Entertainment Centre and Wilkinsons Point will raise the DEC’s capacity from about 3500 to 5000.

But he believes it is the match-day experience that will be the secret to a Tasmanian NBL’s side success, not just how many it gets through the door.

Kestelman’s aim — with government support — is to make the DEC on par with other NBL venues around Australia.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a 15,000-seat venue or a 5000-seat venue, it is [ensuring] what you see on television and what you see from a consumer’s point of view is quite consistent and everything is at an elite level,” Mr Kestelman said.

“The lighting is right, we want to see fireworks, and we want to see an amazing game day as it is a product of entertainment.

“It’s not just a product of playing basketball so it needs to be presented in the right way.”

Included in the proposed overhaul of the 30-year-old venue are a “jumbotron” scoreboard and replay screen as well as other audio visual equipment, airconditioning and corporate hospitality facilities.

“Everything has to be done on a global scale,” Mr Kestelman said.

“I think you fit the population and I think a 5000-seat venue works fine as long as it’s done really well. It [the DEC] is a very, very tired facility and I think everyone in Tasmania knows that. I jokingly say it’s a 30-year-old facility that feels like it’s a 50-year-old facility.”

He said the plan was to have a Tasmanian NBL team competing next year, but the 2021-22 season might be more realistic.