Green light for Macquarie Point Stadium

Image: Macquarie Point Development Corporation

The Macquarie Point Stadium in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia has received final parliamentary approval, clearing the way for it to be built and the state to claim its own AFL team.

ABC News said Tasmania’s long-debated new sporting arena has now received final approval from the state parliament after years of political wrangling and public division.

The Tasmanian Legislative Council voted nine to five in favour of the $1.13 billion Macquarie Point Stadium project, marking a major milestone for the state’s bid to host a professional AFL team.

The decision clears the way for the construction of a 23,000-seat, roofed multipurpose stadium that is a key condition of the Tasmania Devils’ entry into the Australian Football League and AFL Women’s competition.

The new venue is expected to host AFL matches, cricket, concerts and other large events when completed.

The Macquarie Point Multipurpose Stadium is a significant infrastructure development project that is planned as a key part of the urban renewal of Mac Point.

The venue is scheduled to begin construction in 2026 and open in 2029 as the home ground of Tasmania Football Club.

Tasmania Football Club, nicknamed the ‘Devils’, is a professional Australian Rules football club set to compete in the AFL from the 2028 season and the AFL Women’s league from an unspecified date. The club will be based in Tasmania with matches to be played across the State.

When it starts play in 2028, Tasmania Football Club will play its home games at the existing 20,000-capacity Bellerive Oval in Hobart and at the 21,000-capacity York Park in Launceston, Tasmania, while the Macquarie Point Stadium is built.

COX Architecture was last year named as the Lead Design Consultant for the Macquarie Point stadium.

Supporters of the project including the Tasmanian government, AFL leadership and parts of the business community have heralded the approval as a “historic day” that will boost jobs and economic activity, while securing Tasmania’s place on the national sporting map.

However, the project has been highly controversial, facing a damning independent planning commission report that advised against proceeding on economic and planning grounds, and prompting intense debate over cost, location and heritage impact.

In September, Tasmania’s Planning Commission recommended against the new stadium saying the proposal was “too big for the site and the benefits it will bring are significantly outweighed by the disbenefits it creates”.

A group of Tasmanian politicians opposed to the proposed stadium travelled to Melbourne to meet with executives at AFL House and express their opposition to the new venue.

With final approval now in hand, however, the government and Macquarie Point Development Corporation will move toward selecting construction partners and advancing detailed planning.

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