City of Launceston Mayor Danny Gibson said a $65 million Federal Government expansion to the University of Tasmania Stadium will cement the stadium's reputation as one of the best regional sporting facilities in the country.
Mayor Gibson joined Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jeremy Rockliff at UTAS Stadium today for the funding announcement, which comes on the back of an identical commitment from the Tasmanian Government in January - bringing the total expansion funding for the stadium to $130 million.
"I am delighted by today's announcement by Prime Minister Albanese to provide $65 million funding for stage two redevelopment and expansion of UTAS Stadium - improving the amenity of the ground as well as the seating capacity for the fans is certainly a priority from the Council's perspective," Mayor Gibson said.
"From Council's perspective, today's announcement is the culmination of a significant body for work we have undertaken since the last federal election to realise our vision for the redevelopment of University of Tasmania Stadium.
"This now brings the commitment from the state and feds to $130 million for UTAS Stadium. That's a significant investment into Launceston both from a sporting and economic perspective, particularly for local civil contractors.
"Those two commitments are also very much in line with the work we undertook as a Council through the delivery of the University of Tasmania Stadium Future Directions Plan to increase the capacity of York Park to 24,000 seats."
Mayor Gibson said that the City of Launceston will continue to work collaboratively with the Premier on a memorandum of understanding around future content in Launceston, particularly AFL matches.
"The north is and always has been a strong supporter of Australian Rules football and that's evidenced by the attendance record of fans right across Northern Tasmania," Mayor Gibson said.
"From the Council's perspective, it is vitally important that we maintain and indeed expand on what we already have here particularly given the economic value AFL football brings to the region.
"The impact AFL football has had on the city's economy over the past two decades had been profound. That's supported by economic modelling that shows that AFL games return more than $30 million to the local economy every year.
"And anecdotally, that's certainly reinforced by the conversations I have with local business-owners across the city - from restaurant and hotel owners through to cafes and pubs. AFL is good business both on and off the field for Launceston and brings with it vitality and vibrancy to our CBD."
