Essendon president David Barham told the AFL Commission that the league would be seen as “corporate bullies” should Tasmania fail in its bid to secure the competition’s 19th team.
In a passionate address, Barham urged the game’s bosses to reconsider their insistence upon a roof for the stadium that is a condition of Tasmania’s AFL licence.
Essendon president David Barham (left) at the 2023 AFL grand final lunch with Port counterpart David Koch.Credit: Jesse Marlow
Barham’s warning came at the most recent meeting between the Richard Goyder-chaired commission and the 18 club presidents on June 10.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff asked for a snap election on the same day.
Barham said if the Tasmania Devils were refused a licence because the state could not win public support for a stadium with a roof, the AFL would be perceived nationally as corporate bullies.
Barham told the game’s bosses they had an image problem in Tasmania, and that their brand was poor in the island state. He said the commission should consider putting the prospect of a stadium roof on hold for three to five years at the proposed controversial Macquarie Point development.
An artist’s impression of the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium in Hobart.
He also reminded the competition bosses that the AFL was Australia’s national game and that the code should remain the priority.
While no other presidents or commissioners spoke strongly in opposition to Barham, it remains unclear how many other clubs would be prepared to give ground on a roof. This would potentially pave the way in a cost sense for extra seating at the stadium, which is slated for a capacity of 23,000.
Only one AFL venue across the country – the AFL-owned Marvel Stadium – has a roof.
Barham’s comments at the commission gathering mark the first sign of some flexibility from the clubs on the game’s insistence on a roof.
Essendon coach Brad Scott and David Barham.Credit: Getty Images
Barham took over the Essendon presidency in 2022 and has worked to rebuild and reshape the Bombers alongside coach Brad Scott and chief executive Craig Vozzo.
As a media boss, Barham has been a key figure in the game for more than three decades, since Ross Oakley ran the then newly expanded AFL.
Barham’s comments were confirmed by three club presidents present at the talks held shortly before the Australian Football Hall of Fame presentation.
All three refused to be quoted due to the confidential nature of commission meetings. Barham was also contacted for comment.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon reminded Barham that the roof was part of the original deal signed off by the AFL and the Tasmanian government, which will go to the polls on July 19.
The AFL said in a statement to this masthead that the Devils were continuing to make great progress under chairman Grant O’Brien and CEO Brendon Gale.
“More than 210,000 members have signed up and pledged their support, signifying great momentum and backing for the club,” the statement said.
“A clear component of the licence bid from the Tasmanian taskforce was a new roofed stadium at Macquarie Point with a capacity of at least 23,000. The AFL’s continued position is that this is a condition for the grant of the 19th licence – a position that was reaffirmed at the most recent presidents’ meeting earlier this month.”
The Tasmanian state election was forced by a no-confidence motion against Rockliff, which was tied and decided by the speaker’s casting vote.
The election is seen, in part, as a referendum on the stadium and therefore the team, among other economic issues.
But there is a growing sentiment among some AFL powerbrokers that the push for a Tasmanian team, along with the 2028 start date, has progressed too far and garnered too much support for the project to be delayed now.
The Devils remain optimistic that they will launch VFL and VFLW teams next season.
In early 2023, then-AFL boss Gillon McLachlan pledged to spend $360 million on the Tasmanian team over a decade. That total included more than $90 million in game development, $33 million on three separate talent academies and $210 million to cover regular club distributions, including specialist work on the club’s list development.
Tasmania’s club distributions from the AFL won’t match those of league-dependent clubs, such as GWS, Gold Coast and St Kilda, but will match that of the richest clubs, such as Collingwood, which receives only base funding. The state government has pledged to fund the Tasmanian Devils to the tune of $12.5 million a year for a decade.
The AFL also pledged to contribute at least $15 million to the new Hobart stadium, a figure it has not yet offered to increase. The Tasmanian government has pledged $375 million to the stadium, with the federal government pledging $240 million. With the cost of the stadium expected to blow out to more than $1 billion, the shortfall is expected to come from state borrowings.
The new club’s training and administration facility at Kingston in Hobart is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027 and will cost the state government $105 million, with the AFL contributing $10 million.
The AFL remains insistent it is working towards a 2028 start date for the 19th team, with new list rules and concessions currently being completed at head office, to be approved at commission talks in August.
Most Devils home games in years one and two would be fixtured at UTAS Stadium in Launceston, where a $130 million redevelopment is being jointly funded by the state and federal governments and scheduled for completion in early 2027.
Gale presented to the state planning commission this week, as a fortnight of hearings kicked off for the planning approval process for the stadium.
Shortly before the process began, Rockliff signed a heads of agreement with the state and Australian cricket bodies, vowing to work together on the final specifications for the Hobart stadium roof, after cricket initially flagged problems with the design.
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