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The Australian Football League (AFL) has pledged to shell out AUS$360 million (US$245.3 million) in funding for a proposed Tasmania-based expansion team, while also warning that the deal remains dependent on securing the necessary financing for a new stadium.
Confirmed:
- Funding to be spent over ten years
- AUS$210 million (US$143.4 million) to cover ‘base funding’ for club’s operations, including specialist list establishment
- More than AUS$90 million (US$61.5 million) to be spent on game development, and AUS$33 million (US$22.54 million) to be used on developing young players in three new “talent academies”
- AFL chief executive Gillion McLachlan confirms minimum of AUS$15 million (US$10.24 million) will be provided for proposed new stadium
Context:
The future of any Tasmanian AFL team remains heavily dependent on whether the federal government is willing to pay AUS$240 million (US$163.85 million) in funding for the new venue. It is seen as the last piece of the puzzle, with the state government already having committed AUS$375 million (US$256.89 million) for the project. The stadium is a hugely contentious issue, with ten Tasmanian federal MPs co-signing a recent letter written to McLachlan imploring him to grant the expansion team license without the requirement for a new venue.
Meanwhile, a parliamentary committee exploring the government’s process into the feasibility and planning of the arena has received 926 public submissions, with many Tasmanians worried about the stadium’s cost and the need for its building. The total is said to be among the highest ever in response to a Public Accounts Committee inquiry.
Comment:
“Our fans want, deserve, and expect the best experience and the best experience needs the best stadiums and the supporters are voting with their feet,” said McLachlan. “That is why there can be no team without a stadium. We need to set up a team for future success, not for future failure. It is that simple.”
Coming next:
The Australian government will continue conducting its own study into the project, before making a highly anticipated decision effectively greenlighting or ending the existence of an expansion franchise in Tasmania.
