Why Tasmanians want a new stadium in Hobart

Tasmanians from all sectors of the community have thrown their support behind a new stadium in Hobart. Find out why they want “Tasmania to once again be bold and think big”.

Tasmanians who support a new stadium.

Tasmanians from all sectors of the community have thrown their support behind a new stadium in Hobart.

Find out why they want “Tasmania to once again be bold and think big” below.

MARGARET SUTHERLAND

Former President of Clarence Football Club

“In the beginning I was ambivalent as to whether we had an AFL team because, being from Sydney, I wasn’t involved in the history of it all.

“However, the more I hear about it I think Tasmania deserves a side, especially for the girls of Tasmania, who will find it hard to go any further unless we do have an AFLW team. If it’s almost immediate that will give the young women a carrot to remain in the game, because they will be able to see a career path.

Margaret Sutherland. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

“I can visual our Tassie teams running out on a new stadium to play their first game. We’ve got some absolutely terrific players here, and some terrific juniors coming through.

“I’ve been for the stadium from the beginning, as long as it is multi-purpose. I don’t think it can be just for football and neither can it be just for cricket, because they are making sounds about playing their games there.

“It would bring a lot of money into here. We have some great opportunities to have concerts and people would flock here to see them. Robbie Williams has already said he’d love to play here, so I’m all for the stadium.”

STEPHEN MORAHAN

General Manager Tasman Hotel

“If I could speak to Mr Albanese I’d ask him for support to help develop and build a world-class recreation and entertainment facility that includes the stadium _ football being a central part of that.

“It’s not just about football, it’s about how we activate that precinct and look at it from a conferencing, events, entertainment point of view rather than footy on its own.

“It would be amazing. I was in Perth when Perth Stadium was launched. I opened Aloft in Perth around the same time that stadium came online and it really activated the area and the city.

Stephen Morahan general manager The Tasman. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“It brought a lot of attention to the city itself and not just the stadium but the whole area around it.

“So it’s important the entire area is activated with recreational facilities in and around MacPoint, whether that be for young children and big children.

“It’s about what it can do for the surrounding area, not just the stadium. While the football would be amazing and we won’t have any trouble filling it with supporters, it’s about how we can activate that to take on world-class events _ conferences, concerts, soccer, possibly motocross, who knows?”

JARROD NATION

Managing Director of Salters Hire and Director Taste of Summer

AFL is more than just a game. It’s an inclusive, community-focused sport that brings people together. The local footy club is a really important part of our social infrastructure.

“I’m worried that without an AFL team of our own, football in Tasmania is at risk and those community bonds are at risk. We need a stadium that the entire state can get behind and that will help rebuild football in Tasmania.

A stadium would be a game-changer for Tasmania and not just for sport. It would also open the door for large arts and cultural events. This year performers like Guns N Roses and Billy Joel will tour right around the country, yet once again Tassie will be left off the map. It’s embarrassing.

“It would be a great venue for arts festivals too. Being able to attract major acts to Tasmania would be massive for the State. It would bring a sense of community pride and show our kids that they don’t have to leave the State to enjoy the events that they have previously had to go to Melbourne or Sydney to enjoy.

“As the owner and operator of Salters Hire, an events-focused business, I can tell you that we simply don’t have the facilities at the moment to host large conferences and business events. These events would generate huge benefits for the state, create jobs and really put Tassie on the map.

“Business events generate well over $150m per year to Tasmania and we miss out on many more conferences and events because we simply do not have a venue that can cater for more than 1,100 delegates.

Taste of Summer chair Jarrod Nation. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“I work in this space and it’s so frustrating to see literally tens of millions of dollars worth of events pass us by every year because we haven’t been bold enough to put in place the infrastructure to support these events.

“We know that conference delegates bring their partners and wallets with them and spend an average of over $800 per day on tours, cafés, bars, taxis, restaurants and the like.

“We also know that business events engage local suppliers who also employ locals to deliver the events. The potential of this market alone is in the billions according to Business Events Tasmania modelling, which will create opportunities and jobs for Tasmania.

“That does not include the sports and entertainment opportunities that a stadium will create. Like a large section of the Tasmanian community who travel interstate to watch the AFL through the season, we will see mainlanders arrive in Tasmania to spend time taking in the sites, eating our produce before watching their favourite AFL team. There is a large trickle down effect of this market.

“A stadium will also support our vital building and construction sector. Rather than waving our young tradies off at the airport as they move to the mainland for work, a stadium will create and support thousands of jobs during construction alone.

“People just need to look at the social, community, economic and cultural opportunities a stadium will unlock. We can afford it, we will pack the place out watching sport or enjoying cultural performances and it will give the entire state a massive lift.

“There will always be some who can’t see the big picture, but they shouldn’t be able to hold the rest of us hostage.

“The business case stacks up, the community is behind it, it will deliver massive benefits for the State, it will be a game-changer and it will put Tassie on the map.

SUSAN PARR

Former Chair of the TCCI

“We need a stadium/precinct development. We need something. We need to see things happening around the capital city to give that spur to economic growth, to give people more confidence and employ more people, and more people will be here to see our state and buy the stuff that only Tasmania produces.

“It is really, really critical.

“I’m not a sports person by any stretch of the imagination but it would be incredible for Tasmania’s economy and I support it on that basis, having the enthusiasm and energy a premier sports venue would give us.

Susan Parr. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

“So many people watch televised sport around the country and around the world and Tasmania has got something that no other place has, and we would be marketing our state to the whole of Australia and to anybody else who watches Australia football would see this beautiful place. Everybody wins.

“Let’s hope this Federal Government is more forward-thinking that the last one.”

REBECCA ELLSTON

Executive Director (Tasmania) Property Council of Australia

“This goes beyond the stadium. We need to explore how to leverage this catalyst funding to create further economic activity and opportunities in Hobart’s CBD, and across the whole state.

“The stadium will be a major job creator and attract additional private investment that will place the state on a surer long-term economic footing.

“It’s time for Tasmania to once again be bold and think big.

Hobart City Council is making another bid to put height restrictions on new buildings in the CBD. The idea was scrapped last time amid some strong pushback. Photograph shows Rebecca Ellston from the Property Council, who advocates strongly against height restrictions. Picture Eddie Safarik.

“Construction of the stadium has been estimated to bring in $300 million in additional economic activity during the construction phase, plus a further $85 million ongoing every year. This is in addition to the $120 million a year an AFL and AFLW team will deliver for the State.

“The revitalisation of the waterfront is Hobart’s lowest-hanging fruit which, if plucked, will create jobs, grow the economy and create an exciting new urban space for sports fans, tourists and locals alike, while attracting further investment into the state.”