Tasmania Devils CEO Brendon Gale makes impassioned case for Mac Point stadium at public hearing

Tasmania Devils CEO Brendon Gale has launched a spirited defence of the proposed Macquarie Point stadium at a high stakes public hearing in Hobart. WHAT HE SAID >>>

Tasmania Football Club inaugural CEO Brendon Gale. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Tasmania Devils CEO Brendon Gale has mounted an impassioned case for the proposed Macquarie Point stadium and an AFL team the state can call its own, telling a high stakes public hearing that the club will create a sense of belonging in the community and bring people together.

Mr Gale, who played 244 games for Richmond and went on to serve as a highly successful chief executive of the Victorian club, addressed the Tasmanian Planning Commission on Friday as part of the organisation’s integrated assessment of the polarising stadium project.

The Burnie-born Mr Gale said it would be a “huge impost” to the burgeoning Devils if the stadium was not built because Hobart did not have the capacity at existing venues to accommodate the crowds expected to attend home games.

TASWEEKEND – Tasmania Football Club inaugural CEO Brendon Gale. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The stadium at Macquarie Point is a condition of the agreement between the AFL and the state government for Tasmania to be granted a licence for the 19th team in the competition.

“If we had to play under the existing stadia, forget about the financial constraints. We just have massive capacity constraints,” Mr Gale said.

“We’re going to attract big, big crowds.”

The Devils are set to enter the competition in the 2028 season, playing at Bellerive Oval and York Park in the club’s first year.

The government must ensure the Mac Point stadium is built by 2029 in order to avoid financial penalties levied by the AFL.

The estimated cost of the project has blown out to $945m.

The federal government is contributing $240m to the redevelopment of the broader Macquarie Point precinct, while the state government has capped Tasmania’s funding at $375m, and the AFL will chip in $15m. The rest of the money will be derived from state borrowings.

The Devils CEO said the club had the opportunity to unite the Tasmanian community at a time of increasing social dislocation and political polarisation.

Concept design of the proposed Macquarie Point stadium. Picture: Supplied

“We have all this technology that brings us together, but it seems to me that we’ve never been so far apart. There seems [to be] so much division through society, and we’re in different camps and groups, and we’re characterised and branded, and we’ve got social media,” Mr Gale said.

“We just yell at each other all day and some of those really strong institutions society used to look to to bring communities together and establish standards, to be the light on the hill … are perhaps less relevant today than ever.

“In that context, I think sport has never been more important in bringing communities together and giving people a sense of belonging.

“The opportunity to belong, to feel a sense of pride, purpose, confidence, is really important.”

Mr Gale told the commission that the Devils would “cultivate a sense of aspiration” in Tasmania, which would “radiate through the community”.

CAMPBELL TOWN, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 19: Emma Humphries (left) and Jack Riewoldt (right) pose for a photograph with Campbell Town District High School students (L-R) Charlie, Satsuki, Winnie, Linus and Patrick during the Tasmania Devils Media Opportunity at Campbell Town Football Club on March 19, 2024 in Campbell Town, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

He said the club currently had 210,000 founding members and Australian rules football would receive $360m in funding from the AFL over 10 years under the agreement between the government and the league.

The Devils will employ about 110-120 staff once fully operational, with a payroll of $28-30m.

Its salary cap for the 45 male players on the list will be between $12.5-13m, while the cap for the 35 female players will be $2.5m.

Mr Gale said Auskick participation increased by 40 per cent in the first 12 months after the Devils were granted a provisional licence, while numbers increased a further 38 per cent this year.

“This isn’t a sugar hit … participation is off the Richter [scale]. And I think it is sustainable,” he said.

Originally published as Tasmania Devils CEO Brendon Gale makes impassioned case for Mac Point stadium at public hearing