A stand-alone team in Tasmania is expected to become a reality with the new stadium the AFL requires to grant the state a 19th licence to receive federal support.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to visit Hobart this weekend and confirm that the next federal budget, which will be handed down on May 9, will contain a $240 million funding commitment for the stadium.
Two federal government sources, who asked not to be named as they were not authorised to discuss the announcement, confirmed the funding promise would be publicly unveiled this weekend.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has been consistent in declaring the bid for a team in Tasmania as contingent on a new stadium in Hobart being built.Credit: Getty Images
The AFL will then be able to seek the approval of club presidents and the AFL Commission to grant the new team a licence with the vote expected to be a formality after multiple club CEOs confirmed they were told at a meeting during Gather Round to either raise concerns within a week or back the plan.
A spokesperson for Albanese declined to comment while an AFL spokesperson told The Age on Monday evening “the AFL continues to work with state and federal governments to try and secure funding for a stadium”.
The granting of a licence would be a triumph for the Tasmanians who made a final push for a new team. They presented a business case to the AFL just before COVID-19 struck and then re-ignited the argument in 2021, with the AFL commissioning Colin Carter to review it.
It would also provide AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan with a lasting legacy as he prepares to finish his nine-year tenure in charge of the competition.
Albanese visited Tasmania and discussed the funding with Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff, who is a strong supporter of the project, on April 17.
The prime minister has said on multiple occasions that his office is working closely with the Tasmanian premier’s office, which has put in a budget submission seeking funding for the urban redevelopment.
“That is a prime site for not just a sporting stadium, if that goes ahead, but for residential and recreational and commercial activity as well,” Albanese said in February. “I’m working closely with Jeremy Rockliff and his government on these issues.”
The state government has previously pledged $375 million towards the Macquarie Point project with the AFL promising $15 million towards the $715 million stadium.
The remaining $85 million is expected to come from residential, recreational and commercial activity that will be part of the redevelopment. The state government has also committed to providing $12 million a year for the first 12 seasons and $60 million to a high-performance facility.
There has been local opposition to the stadium with the Greens withdrawing their support on the weekend for an AFL team in Tasmania due to the AFL’s insistence that a licence would not be granted unless a stadium was built.
The state ALP has also argued that a stadium was not essential for the AFL to admit a Tasmanian team, but they have maintained support for a team in the state.
The entry date of a Tasmanian team remains uncertain, but the stadium is expected to be ready by 2029 with the AFL conceding they would be prepared for the team to play at existing stadiums for up to two seasons if they entered the competition before the stadium was operational.
Hawthorn have an agreement to play home games in Launceston until 2025 while North Melbourne have a deal for games at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena with a three-year sponsorship in place with the Spirit of Tasmania.
