NEW TEAM’S FIRST STAR SIGNING

JackJumpers unveil official mascot

THE AFL has been accused of abandonment and abdication of Tasmania over its deathly silence on the code’s future in the state.

It comes as the Launceston City Council has released plans for a-yetto-be-funded $208m University of Tasmania Stadium redevelopment that would increase seating, attract bigger and better AFL games and possibly home a Tasmanian AFL team as well as having the capacity to host A-League and NBL games in the precinct.

But part of the council’s plans would see a Tasmanian governmentrun trust take over management — and ongoing costs — for the venue.

Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said it was an exciting proposal and he was open to considering the formation of a trust but first it had to be approved by the Launceston City Council at Monday night’s meeting.

“I did make mention in my budget speech that we were working on looking closely at upgrades at UTas Stadium,” Mr Gutwein said.

“An AFL team and our aspirations for an AFL team remain front and centre in our thinking (and) obviously I’ve made some statements in

terms of our positions that we’ve taken.

“An upgraded stadium over time would be required to support an AFL side and obviously in the Taskforce report that it provided it indicated seating of around 22 to 23,000 would be provided so at least one stadium in Tasmania could take blockbuster games.”

The government has called a halt on negotiations with Hawthorn and North Melbourne — worth a combined $8m to the clubs and eight home games to the state — until the AFL provides a pathway to a Tasmanian AFL team. But there is yet to be a response from league headquarters.

Tasmania’s AFL Taskforce chairman, Brett Godfrey, said that was a clear indication of the league’s thinking when it comes to this Australian rules heartland state, especially when compared with other competitions.

“The absence of urgency and vision is informative as to the state of football in Tasmania today — as guardians of the code it is surprising to many, but specifically for the Tasmanian football community, it borders on abandonment and abdication,” Mr Godfrey told the Mercury.

“And while economically, it may be a tough ask to expect the AFL to fix everything in their orbit, other sports somehow seem willing to invest to secure their footholds in Tasmania.

“The NBL and likely A-League being recent examples.”

The UTas proposal includes retractable seating meaning the venue could be converted into a rectangular stadium able to host World Cup soccer or rugby games, as well as ALeague, NRL or Super Rugby matches.

The new venue would also include an indoor venue with a 5000-seat capacity for NBL matches, netball and indoor concerts, as well as training and high-performance facilities.

Launceston City Council chief executive Michael Stretton said the redevelopment only adds to Tasmania’s push for an AFL team.

He also said the cost of $208m was realistic when compared with other stadiums around Australia such as the development of Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium and venues in Perth.

“We do think it is well costed and reasonably but certainly a muchneeded development for the city,” he said.