I’d argue MJS needs a reno job. Create a lower bowl by filling in the ends, new (not reused ones from another stadium) video screens at both ends (one is already dead), a retractable roof, and why not add a new Entertainment Centre to one of the stands. Works for Coventry, Ottawa has something similar.
No. 1 Sportsground, maybe, but not for the purposes of having a BBL team play there. Because Newcastle is 6ers territory and the 6ers can join GWS in the pit of death. 
Yep, no passenger trains in Tassie since the Tasman Limited finished in the 70’s which went from the North-West to Hobart.
No point in any passenger trains across the state, the whole rail line would need to be rebuilt otherwise it’s a 10 hour journey from Burnie to Hobart - 4 to 5 in the car at the moment with all the roadworks.
The freight trains used to come into Hobart until about 10 years ago when the new Brighton Transport Hub was built where they now terminate. The lines are still there from Brighton to Hobart and they keep talking about putting light rail on there and running study after study but the NIMBY’s keep getting in the way so I doubt it will happen. They also failed to include any rail in the replacement Bridgewater Bridge project (the current one has the disused rail line on it). Putting light rail on there and expanding the ferries would be simple things to get things happening but Hobart unfortunately is very anti-everything so nothing ever gets done… until something happens in Launceston or elsewhere and then they complain that nothing ever happens down there and it should have been done there. They have a big chance with this stadium but are already being divisive enough that they can cause the whole thing to fail which would really suck.
Great insight… I love reading about transport history etc.
All the protestors on the news were talking about the need for housing instead of a stadium. Sounds like Tasmania needs some public transport as a top priority. How are they ever going to grow and attract housing development investment without it?
Tasmania and in particular Hobart really don’t help themselves. They want everything that everyone else has which is fine, but also don’t want to change. I love Tasmania and I choose to live here but far out they don’t help themselves at times.
To put things in perspective about the calls for health funding etc… I made this graph a few months ago, it shows the last 15 years of spending in key areas under multiple governments against how the upcoming stadium/AFL funding from the state would stack up against it. The AFL money is dwarfed in all those areas by the things it should be and health, education, housing are all receiving more money each year.
Unfortunately, Labor and the Greens who are very anti-everything have stirred up all this trouble despite all of it being possible. Hobart’s city council is also very green oriented with a former Greens candidate as Lord Mayor for a couple of terms and unfortunately they spend more time criticising state decisions, national decisions and debating things like LGBTIQ+ flags, pronouns and support for Ukraine - all worthy things but not really council things when the city is falling further and further behind and controversial things are dragging on - like a cable car on Mt Wellington or fixing the traffic snarls or helping with the housing issues and public transport. The state government has stepped in multiple times which they hate but they seem to get things done.
Sorry for all the politics but that’s just how it is, the Greens withdrew their tripartisan support for the AFL team officially last week, state Labor is against the stadium as though all that money will magically fix the hospitals and all the other issues (which are actually slowly getting a lot better under this government - and under Labor nurses were sacked, wards closed, hospitals and schools closed) and even the Federal MP for the electorate of Clark which Hobart is in, Andrew Wilkie, is campaigning against it all - again, someone who has campaigned for hospitals to be closed and all sorts of things and just expects things to be given.
*Disclaimer, our local hospital, the Mersey has been opeerational and running the best it’s done for decades and actually has certainty of staying open - despite Wilkie and Labor and the Greens trying for years to close it when they had power.
Hobart is a great, beautiful city but they need to find the balance of old and new which they can do. Sydney and Melbourne have and other places, they need progress or else we’ll be completely bankrupt and the current Greens and Labor leaders are anti anything that will bring in investment or tourism unfortunately.
When I last went to Hobart it felt familiar as someone from Geelong, where for most of my life the tallest building was the hospital. They are finally starting to build up and re-imagine some of the inner city, but with lots of resistance (like the usual anti-bike lane types), but it has left a situation where it’s cheaper for me living in Melbourne than some of the rents in Geelong - just through the lack of housing stock in a growing area.
While the rail link gets people there from Melbourne, the locals mostly drive in, and that packs the surrounding streets for several km in each direction - and that’s bad enough with the current reduced capacity, let alone 40k. There’s bus lines in Geelong with 2 hourly frequencies on weekends, and that stop at 6pm - everyone basically has to drive, except those along the rail corridor.
It causes huge chokebacks when leaving on the roads - or long walks to the ground and back.
Hobart seems to have lots of those same problems, and there’s not as many side streets to fan out into - because of the long and skinny nature of Hobart. GMHBA being a bit further in makes it easier in that regard.
But equally, I see how important football is to the identity of the place - the Cats are a huge part of the community, and having a strong stadium to keep the matches down there is seen as a worthwhile investment, so I can really understand how people want it. Though really needs to be a stronger split of games with Hobart - if the argument is they need a roof because of the weather, but then York Park gets half the matches without one, it does seem more of a waste of money.
The Albion Park Paceway in Brisbane will be bulldozed in Olympic transformation
Now this is impressive: How US arenas go from NBA to NHL and back again!
A protest is due to happen on Hobart’s Parliament Lawns against the new Tasmanian Stadium. People expected to be there are the two Tasmanian Opposition Leaders from Labor and the Greens, Clark MP where Hobart is, Andrew Wilkie, and the Hobart Lord Mayor, Anna Reynolds. New additions expected to be there are the two Liberal backbenchers who quit the party yesterday and are now seeing out their terms as independents - this move happened yesterday and has now thrown the Liberal government into minority which means if things have to go through parliament they’ll likely be voted down - they were already working to bypass the Hobart City Council because of their opposition (and opposition to everything).
Very disappointing and this is why we can’t have nice things. Also, really annoying that people are not ever taking note of the size or length of time for this $750m compared to all the other spending still occurring or all the issues being faced by us are being faced nationwide and Australia wide.
The parties protesting today should make clear that they are only opposed to the new stadium in Hobart, not their state’s entry into the AFL in general.
Also, shouldn’t Tasmanian Labor toe the line with federal Labor, given the Albanese government will put in $240 million towards the construction cost?
Unfortunately, the AFL made it they can’t have one without the other. No new stadium = No team.
And the AFL should foot the bill for it.
It is a multipurpose stadium that can be utilised for cricket, Rugby and consents etc?
Yep, but they’ve turned this issue into a stadium only thing - despite there was also being housing and other things added to the whole precinct. Housing which has been knocked back several times by Hobart City Council with different proposals and they ended up selling much of the city off to UTAS which the Hobart residents have also complained about.
Yep, but Rebecca White seems to be invincible despite having lost several elections and losing the leadership and Tas Labor being under control of Federal Labor at the moment because they were such a mess but she seems to be making this her hill to die on.
Yep, as well as all the proper AFL level change facilities, training facilities and performance centre etc… Those against seem to feel like it’s just an Auskick game and just a few blokes turning up on Saturday afternoon for a kick rather than an actual team that needs to be competitive.
I wonder why the AFL won’t accept an upgraded Bellerive /'York Park precinct? If its good enough for the Hawks or Kangaroos to play some games there now, why not for a full time team in an upgraded version.
And its not like the Giants or Suns venues are particularly brilliant either. They are new-ish and OK but that’s it.
It kind of seems like the AFL don’t really want Tasmania and have been trying to make it as hard as possible for them.
Good question… I would assume that the precinct is too far away from the Hobart CBD for full time use. It’s on the other side of the harbour.
The MCG, Marvel, Adelaide Oval and Optus Stadium have all benighted being close to the CBD.
I can see how in a cost of living and housing “crisis” the decision to invest in building a stadium is tone-deaf. The housing element of the proposal feels really tacked on (even if it isnt) and token.
People want to see more action on issues of concern and in some respects I agree with them (although there is a real disconnect between what people want Governments to do and what they can actually do/achieve). It doesn’t come across great that the AFL team is/was contingent on building the stadium (that the game is putting bugger all if any money into)
Yeah the AFL should be putting in more but this is also just another in a long line of developments the council and others keep pushing back.
There have been numerous housing proposals the council has knocked back and they’ve sold a lot of land to have UTAS move in and own a huge amount of Hobart CBD sites so it’s a bot rich for them to keep complaining when they’ve also been a big part of the mess we’re in.
When Cricket Australia/Rugby Australia/whomever else is pushing for a new stadium, they too can foot the bill.
Mainlander tax dollars shouldn’t be spent on Gillon’s provincial hobby project. I’m not going to tell Tasmanians what their state government should or shouldn’t fund, but the federal government involvement is pretty poor given how little the AFL is actually putting into the scheme.
Theyre doing the same to Tassie as what they did to Western Sydney taxpayers. Get them to pay for new facilities. Only difference, they already had a stadium or two to play in.
It happens all over the world. Private business making millions of dollars yet dont want to chip in for a new stadium. Tasmanians have every right to be upset.
