DELAYS to the Macquarie Point stadium’s completion won’t impact the Tasmania Devils’ ability to attract top-line talent, club CEO Brendon Gale says.
Developers behind the $1.13 billion venue and Tasmania’s government this week said it isn’t expected to host games until the 2031 season.
Completion had originally been slated for 2029, with the Devils playing just their first season in 2028 at existing Ninja Stadium in Hobart and University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston.
Construction of the 23,000-seat roofed waterfront venue was a condition of the Devils being granted a licence for entry into the AFL and AFLW.
Gale said the stadium delay wasn’t a surprise to the club and wouldn’t make Tasmania a less attractive proposition for prospective players.
“We’ve anticipated for some time that there would be delays,” he said on Saturday.
“In an ideal world you want it to be ready for round one, but that was never going to be the case.
“We have two satisfactory venues which can accommodate AFL football in the short term.
A render of the proposed new stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart. Picture: Macquarie Point Development Corporation
“Clearly they have capacity constraints that we have to work around, which in some way underscores the importance of the stadium.
“When the stadium is ready, we want it to be ready. When it is ready there will be another sugar hit.”
Gale said he understood why people had been surprised with the stadium’s expected opening shifting to 2031.
Approval for the project passed Tasmania’s parliament in December after a bitter debate and rallies that attracted thousands on both sides of the fence.
Macquarie Point Development Corporation chief executive Anne Beach has said the build would remain within AFL contract terms, which stipulate it must be completed by the end of 2030.
The state government must pay the club an extra $4.5 million per year for every season post-2028 that the stadium isn’t ready.
