BUILD THE STADIUM

SO the AFL presidents are saying that we need a new state-of-art stadium.

And it sounds like they won’t accommodate us unless we have one. We certainly have to do it the hard way, unlike

the Gold Coast who have been sucking the AFL dry ever since they have been involved. Tony Cochrane, the CEO, should be the last person to criticise our application.

However, I support the building of a brand new stadium. An AFL team of our own would change Tasmania, the capital city would become a vibrant and exciting place to live, the stadium would attract not only AFL football but top events and artists and tourists from all over the world.

David Walsh, I would imagine, would be rubbing his hands in anticipation. Imagine what he could do.

Many jobs would evolve. It is reported that an AFL team would mean 300 jobs and we know how much Hawthorn has meant to businesses in the North, and North Melbourne in the South.

If we miss out we can kiss goodbye to football in Tasmania. It would definitely be overtaken by basketball and soccer for obvious reasons.

Stadiums like this have already been built in other states, including South

Australia, who aren’t that much better off economically than we are with apparent outstanding success. I know the cost will be around the $1bn mark but this stadium might be the answer to providing the revenue for our hospitals, age care shortfalls, and housing in the years ahead. All we need is the courage to do it.

Paul Stevenson Blackmans Bay

AN OBSCENE SCAM

HAVING Tasmania in fine print on a Hawthorn jersey and none of the team members, from or living in this state and paying millions for it is a scam.

Cranking it up so that we are told that the only way we can have our own team is by building a stadium that could cost around a billion dollars is an obscene scam. Surely the sensible way would be to get the team up and reward it with a stadium after it won its first premiership.

Kennett and the rest of the AFL clowns see Tasmania as a soft touch. Sid Abraham

New Town