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The AFL has pledged $360 million for a team in Tasmania should the island state’s push for a 19th licence, which remains contingent on funding for a new stadium, come to fruition.
The money, to be spent over a decade, includes $100 million in game development and $33 million to develop young players in three new “talent academies”.
AFL chief Gillon McLachlan made the announcement at a tourism and business industry lunch in Hobart on Thursday.
He said $210 million would be rolled out for a new club over a decade to cover “base funding”, including specialist list establishment.
Tasmania’s admission to the AFL is contingent on securing funding for a proposed $715-million stadium project at Hobart’s Macquarie Point.
The state Liberal government has pledged $375 million towards the infrastructure and is seeking $240 million from the federal Labor government.
The proposal is being assessed by the federal government ahead of their next budget, to be delivered in May.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday described Macquarie Point as a “prime site” not just for a stadium but also residential, recreational and commercial activities.
“I’m working closely with (Tasmanian Premier) Jeremy Rockliff and his government on these issues,” he told reporters.
McLachlan said the AFL would chip in $15 million toward the stadium, as previously announced, but indicated the league could shift on that figure.
“Without a stadium there is no team. The stadium is now the last key requirement,” he said.
“We have a moment in time here decades in the making, to have a strong Tasmanian team and a sustainable club.”
The stadium proposal expects $85 million to be garnered for the project through borrowings against land sale or lease for commercial uses.
The AFL announcement comes the day after 10 Tasmanian federal politicians signed a letter urging the league to grant the state a team without the requirement of a new stadium.
“Tasmania is one of the founding football states and has a long history of making rich contributions to the national game,” the letter reads.
“We deserve a team of our own without having to make taxpayers pay for a stadium – something no other state has had to do to get a team.”
Liberal MPs Bridget Archer and Gavin Pearce and independent senators Andrew Wilkie and Jacquie Lambie are among those to have signed the letter, along with members of the Greens.
Tasmania’s Labor opposition is also against the stadium proposal, saying the state’s stretched essential services need greater funding.
Rockliff conceded it was a “tough sell” but said he would never say no to an opportunity.
“We’ve been excluded because we don’t have the infrastructure that every other state has. Tasmania should not be overlooked. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” he told the event.
McLachlan’s visit to Tasmania also included a stop in Launceston in the north.
He said there was a “loud and clear” message that grassroots football in Tasmania needed to be supported.
© AAP
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