The AFL has reaffirmed that construction of Hobart’s proposed Macquarie Point stadium remains a non-negotiable condition for Tasmania’s entry into the competition, following meetings with anti-stadium MPs in Melbourne on Wednesday.
A delegation of Tasmanian Greens and independent politicians, including Vica Bayley, Cassy O’Connor, Kristie Johnston and Peter George, met with AFL chief operating officer Tom Harley to press their concerns over the project’s escalating cost and community opposition.
However, the League made its position clear: no stadium, no team.
“No stadium, no team” remains the message
“We had some frank conversations. They were very clear their position is no stadium, no team,” Ms Johnston said after the 30-minute meeting. “We put it to them that might have been the case a few years ago, but now we have plenty of evidence that the stadium will have a detrimental effect on Tasmanians. It would be unconscionable for them to hold us to that condition of the deal.”
Despite growing political pressure, the AFL reiterated that the roofed 23,000-seat stadium at Macquarie Point was a key component of Tasmania’s successful licence bid.
“It is a condition for the grant of the 19th licence and that position has not changed,” the League said in a statement.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff, who championed the deal, backed the AFL’s stance, saying: “There will be no team without this stadium and I’ve said that many, many times.”
The Macquarie Point project will go before parliament in November, with a decisive upper-house vote expected in December. If approved, the Tasmania Devils are set to debut in 2028, first playing at Bellerive Oval before moving to their new Hobart home the following year.