The Tasmanian Liberal Government will pursue an aspirational vision for our sporting future, including our plan to develop a multi-purpose stadium at Regatta Point that will deliver significant social and economic outcomes, and create a spectacular and iconic entry to Hobart.
The new stadium, subject to stakeholder consultation, planning approval and achieving later this year an AFL licence, was a recommendation of the AFL Taskforce, and will put Tasmania on the national and international stage for sporting, entertainment and cultural events on a scale that hasn’t been possible in the past.
UTAS Stadium will remain the northern major stadium and importantly, once the transfer of the ownership from the Launceston City Council to Stadiums Tasmania occurs, and subject to the Australian Government matching the $65 million that is allocated in our Budget, we will progress the $135 million first stage of the $200 million master plan.
Stage one, subject to funding will be developed over the next three to five years and will increase the capacity of the ground, while also providing retractable seating to enable A-League, AFL and other events to be held, future proofing the stadium for decades to come. Stage two will provide an indoor arena capable of holding basketball, netball and other sports and entertainment events.
Stadiums Tasmania will also work with the Central Coast Council to invest $25 million into further development of the Dial Regional Sports Complex to allow AFL and A-league games to be played on the North West Coast.
The new stadium at Regatta Point will bring enormous opportunities to the State with the hosting of national and International events.
It will be an important part of Tasmania’s sporting and entertainment evolution, growing and supporting the state’s visitor economy, and inspiring infrastructure and transport systems to support industry, business and community growth, ultimately shaping and invigorating our capital city. It will be connected to various transport modes and will fill the city and the State with accommodation, hospitality and retail activity.
The stadium will include a retractable roof for all weather playing and performances, making it one of only two such AFL venues in the country, it would complement the investment in MyState Arena as a boutique stadium, while Blundstone Arena would remain the home of cricket.
The Regatta Point site spans an area that is owned by the people of Hobart, managed by the City of Hobart and the Crown, and importantly, holds great significance for Tasmanian soldiers that have served their country as well as being the long term home of the Hobart Regatta. The Government will work closely with the RSL and the Regatta Association on how such a stadium could enhance the Cenotaph area and invite people to remember and celebrate our servicemen and women year-round, as well as providing a new home for the Regatta on the river side of the new Stadium complex.
The site would have minimal impact on residential areas and is ideally located given its proximity to the city and to future passenger transport links, such as the Northern Suburbs Transit Corridor which would in effect pass through and under the landward side of the stadium as well as increased ferry activity on the river.
The stadium has been designed to AFL specifications and includes a considerable footprint to allow for expansion of spectator and participant infrastructure. It will form a key part of the 10-year strategic stadium plan that Stadiums Tasmania will be tasked to develop and will cost around $750 million.
We will seek to fund this across all levels of Government, as well as providing an opportunity for private sector involvement and equity raising, drawing on numerous examples and lessons of how this works very successfully in other parts of the world.
Subject to achieving an AFL licence later this year and the timing of that being made available it is envisaged that there would be approximately a two-year timeframe for planning, approvals and contracting, and a further two to three years for construction, meaning that the new Stadium could be ready for the 2027 season.