Clarence and Kingborough remain in the race to win the Tasmanian AFL team’s High Performance Centre

Big benefits are likely to flow from hosting the AFL High Performance Centre, and there are just two horses left in the race to win the $70m project. Latest.

IPSWICH, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 27: An aerial view of the ground before the 2022 AFLW Season 7 Grand Final match between the Brisbane Lions and the Melbourne Demons at Brighton Homes Arena, Springfield, Ipswich on November 27, 2022 in Ipswich, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The battle to host the Tasmanian AFL team’s High Performance Centre is now a two-horse race and the man leading the search says the council that wins the $70m state-of-the-art facility is set to strike social and financial gold.

The Clarence City Council and Kingborough Council are the last ones standing among the five councils that started the search as potential hosts of the never-been-seen-before Tasmanian sports facility.

As the Mercury revealed in September, Clarence identified its former golf course in conjunction with Charles Hand Park next to the Rosny College, and the former Geilston Bay High School grounds, as potential host sites, while Kingborough has offered up the Twin Ovals.

The clock is ticking on a December 31 deadline for a decision to name a preferred site to satisfy the state’s licence agreement with the AFL.

The government wants to know by Christmas.

The estimated economic benefit through the construction phase is almost $20m, while local businesses will benefit by an average $55m per annum in additional income to their area, and the overall financial impact to its regional is estimated at $23.7m.

Incredibly, research by SGC Economics estimates High Performance Centre staff alone will spend $127,000 each year on lunches and snacks at their local cafes and bakeries.

It also believes property values will increase and private investment will be drawn into the community.

TFC AFL Club Inaugural Board of Directors, Alastair Lynch, Roger Curtis and Chair Grant O'Brien at UTAS Stadium. Picture: Chris Kidd

Tasmania Football Club director Roger Curtis is head of the club’s infrastructure committee.

After a whirlwind tour of High Performance Centres of other AFL clubs, including Carlton, Brisbane and North Melbourne, Mr Curtis said the opportunities they offered were enormous.

“What we know from the experience of High Performance Centres in other cities and other municipalities right around Australia where they have them based, it is clear the council that wins this is going to get huge social and economic benefits,” he said.

“The reason you see that is not only because of 100-150 skilled people who are working there but also because of the way a High Performance Centre is structured – basically into three parts.

“One third is totally focused on community benefit programs.

“Another third is high performance athletes-focused and the other third is back to the community again, but this time it is through the commercial opportunities that the club can partner up with operators in the community.”

Fans pictured at the Brisbane Lions end of season fan day, on their indoor field at Brighton Homes Arena, Brisbane. (Image/Josh Woning)

AFL clubs typically run programs aimed at social factors like health and nutrition, mental health and wellbeing, and domestic violence.

All of the clubs run an array of community-based programs both at their High Performance Centre and off-site, Mr Curtis said.

“For example, North Melbourne run The Huddle, and they have 25 full-time employees engaged in that program and put 4500 school children through The Huddle each year,” he said.

“That’s thousands of school kids not just going on an excursion but they are also having learning experiences while they are there, free of charge to the school, which is an amazing resource to bring to the table.”

AFL clubs open their indoor training fields to the community to use in the football program downtimes.

“At the indoor field that Brisbane has _ and we would also have an indoor field as part of our High Performance Centre _ they have every football club at every level scheduled to use that facility,” Mr Curtis said.

“So imagine every Auskick team, junior footy club and all local clubs rotating through the centre on the indoor field, as well as being able to use the auditorium or the pools and gymnasium.”