Blundstone Arena operator says the ‘ground is not ready’ for AFL games

North Melbourne has been pushing for Hobart home games ahead of the new AFL fixture being released – but Blundstone Arena operators say they are yet to hear from the club or league.

IF NORTH Melbourne is to host games at Blundstone Arena, it is news to the venue’s operator Cricket Tasmania.

The Roos have said they want to fulfil their Tasmanian contract by playing four home games in Hobart — worth more than $3 million to the club — despite a retracted season because of the postponement of the season.

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The AFL is expected to announce a return date and a fixture in the next day or two, but CT chief executive Dominic Baker said despite being the hosts, he was still yet to hear anything from the AFL or North Melbourne.

“We’ve spoken to AFL Tasmania about ground utilisation for TSL and other competitions and we are deep into those conversations, they are going really well,” Baker said.

“It has been an excellent, amicable discussion around trying to get it so both sports can get seasons in without much disruption, so I couldn’t be happier with those conversations.

“But I have not heard from the AFL. They didn’t even bother to tell us their season wasn’t going to go ahead and I laugh when I see [Roos chief executive] Ben Amarfio in the paper saying, ‘we can’t wait to get to Tasmania’.

“Well they haven’t told me that and the ground is not ready.”

It is believed it is a similar story with Launceston’s University of Tasmania Stadium and Hawthorn, which has also expressed its desire to play in Tasmania and meet its contract obligations.

Combined, the eight AFL games a season deal costs Tasmanian taxpayers about $8 million a year.

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This provides an economic return in terms of tourism revenue, but with almost certainly no crowds allowed at games in 2020, this stimulus will be lost.

Lauderdale coach Darren Winter has backed Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein’s push against the state hosting “ghost” games in Launceston and Hobart, and said that money could be much better spent.

Lauderdale Coach Darren Winter. Pictures: ALASTAIR BETT

“It is great that he’s come out and held them to account by saying we don’t want them if there is no crowds,” Winter said.

Winter said that $8 million would be pivotal in getting all community sports up and running after the shutdown.

“You could essentially get all our sports and state moving by getting rid of Hawthorn and North Melbourne for the year,” he said.

“That to me makes much more sense than having them come over and take our money.

“That is not what it was set up for.

“They are getting a massive amount of money and we do get that benefit of having­ tourism coming in and that’s why we do it.

“But if we’ve got no one coming into the state it is worth nothing to us.”