Angst growing amongst AFL club presidents over Tassie stadium delays

There is growing angst among AFL presidents over the delay of the Macquarie Point Stadium and the would-be Devils Den – the key condition of Tasmania’s bid for the 19th license.

At least the last two president’s meetings with the league have seen club bosses state their renewed determination to hold the Tasmanian government to its new stadium promise and its construction timeline before a team can exist.

The stadium has been delayed to a point where the drastic option of delaying the Devils’ entry to the competition at this stage can’t be ruled out.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff last month admitted meeting the AFL’s deadline of 50 per cent completion by October 2027 will be a challenge, as will completing it by the end of 2028.

Former Premier Peter Gutwein said it was “obvious” it wouldn’t be built on time.

Sources claim there is a scenario whereby the Hobart stadium isn’t finished until 2030 or even 2031.

The Devils are slated to enter the competition in 2028 and while the AFL is prepared to accept them playing at Bellerive and Launceston for their inaugural season, they would almost certainly reject any proposal to do the same in 2029 and certainly 2030.

The stadium has been declared a Project of State Significance, which means it bypasses local government, but needs both houses of Tasmanian parliament to proceed.

A full report and recommendation isn’t due until later this year when it was hoped construction would commence in 2025.

The widely held belief is that the Macquarie Point stadium will take at least four years to complete.

The deal stipulates the Tasmanian government will need to pay the new AFL club an extra $4.5 million if the stadium doesn’t meet its October 2027 target and another $4.5 million if it cannot host matches in the 2029 season.

Club presidents have told the AFL they won’t support what they contend would be a second-rate team playing in second-rate stadiums for multiple seasons – something they say adds nothing to the competition and is unsustainable.