A major push has come from the Tasmanian government for the state to secure a stand-alone AFL team.
The Tasmanian government has submitted an adventurous $150 million bid to secure its spot as the AFL’s 19th club.
Tasmania’s new Premier Jeremy Rockliff made the private submission to the league earlier this month, which would see a team based in Hobart join the league by 2028, and as early as 2026.
The government proposal includes a 10-year deal worth $100 million with an extra $50 million in start-up costs, encompassing a purpose-built high-performance facility close to Hobart’s CBD to complement the previously proposed state-of-the-art stadium.
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Talks are still ongoing about the yearly financial commitment required to cut a deal, with Caroline Wilson reporting on Nine’s Footy Classified this week the AFL proposed a $20 million-a-year pledge in a “cold hard cash grab” to win over the 18 club presidents.
This was quickly quashed by the league with Tasmania’s proposal of $10 million a year over a decade is compliant with Colin Carter’s 2021 expansion report, which estimated a state government contribute between $7 million and $11 million a year.
Details of the bid have emerged as outgoing AFL boss Gillon McLachlan struggles to win over club presidents who “are turning on Tasmania”.
McLachlan has previously said he wants to gain unanimous club support rather than put the Tasmanian proposal to a vote.
According to the Age, while several clubs have been unwilling to take a stand on Tasmania before the full details of the proposal are divulged, Sydney, Collingwood and the Gold Coast are reportedly against the bid.
“A level of angst is building among key players involved in the Tasmanian bid as it awaits clarification upon its football soft cap, player list sizes and the quality of its fixture,” Wilson wrote for the Age.
“Current costings according to the bid would place the new team roughly 12th or 13th in annual turnover, including AFL contributions.”
A final decision is scheduled to be made by the AFL Commission in August.
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