Tasmania will finally get its own AFL team as $240million deal clears way for Apple Isle club

Tasmania is about to have its own team in the AFL, with the federal government reportedly announcing it will pour $240 million for a controversial new stadium.

The league has said the island state’s participation in the league is contingent on the construction of a $715 million stadium on Hobart’s waterfront.

The project requires $240 million in federal government funding, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will announce this weekend, according to multiple media reports.

Once the funding is official, the AFL commission and club presidents will need to formalize the deal to admit the Apple Isle to the league, which will happen as early as next week, according to the ABC.

Located right on the water near North Hobart, the new site is expected to accommodate 23,000 when built – although plans to include a roof have reportedly been scrapped

Mr Albanese said on Wednesday his government had been working with Tasmanian officials on a wider urban regeneration scheme at the Macquarie Point site.

“Hobart is an extremely beautiful city, but at the moment Mac Point is an eyesore – it is completely underused,” he told reporters.

“If we can use that place for recreational activities, for housing, for private sector investment, for urban redevelopment to improve economic activity in Tasmania… by having a center that can bring jobs and events to Tasmania, then would that be positive.’

The funding would pave the way for Tasmania to become the AFL’s 19th side.

Macquarie Point’s stadium was originally supposed to be covered, but that option has been scrapped from the 23,000-seat site, according to a News Corp report.

The new ground will be multi-purpose and will focus on sports other than Aussie Rules.

Albanian’s announcement and subsequent sign-off by the league will end Tasmania’s decades-long struggle for a club of its own.

Launceston’s University of Tasmania Stadium (pictured hosting last weekend’s Hawthorn vs Adelaide match) will also be home to the Apple Isle team

The state’s Liberal government has already pledged $375 million for the stadium project, which has been opposed by Labor and federal Liberal and Independent Tasmanian MPs.

They have argued that the money would be better spent on housing and essential services under pressure.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, Federal MP Andrew Wilkie, Hobart Mayor Anna Reynolds and others criticized the “ill-conceived” plan to add housing to the proposed stadium development.

“The rush to select a random set of proposals is extremely poor planning and inevitably leads to bad decisions that our community will regret for years to come,” they said.

In April, Cassy O’Connor, leader of the Tasmanian Greens, told parliament that the state should get its own team without having to build a new stadium.

Tasmania currently hosts eight AFL games per season under agreements with Hawthorn and North Melbourne to play home games at Launceston’s University of Tasmania Stadium and Hobart’s Blundstone Arena.

The new stadium will be part of a wider waterfront urban renewal scheme – but some Tasmanians are not happy with the move

When the new club starts playing, the team is likely to play seven games at Macquarie Point and four at Launceston.

The state government will contribute $12 million per year for 12 years, plus $60 million for a high-quality center, for a team.

The AFL has committed $360 million over the past decade, including $90 million to game development and $33 million to player talent academies.

It will spend $15 million on the stadium.

Tasmania’s bid for a team was originally intended to be voted on by AFL club presidents by the end of last season.

In March 2022, then Prime Minister Peter Gutwein announced that Tasmania would pursue the ‘ambitious vision’ of building a stadium on Hobart’s waterfront.