AFL News

Tasmania Devils announce location for high-performance centre

“The high-performance centre is one part of making Tasmania’s very own AFL team a reality, something that Tasmanians have wanted for decades.”

Published by
Aidan Cellini

The Tasmanian Devils has unveiled plans for their new high-performance centre that is located at Kingston's Twin Ovals, south of Hobart.

The Devils are set to enter the AFL competition in 2028 and will seek $70 million - $60 million in funding from the Tasmanian Government, with an additional $10 million provided by the AFL - to build the new facility.

The site will house administrative offices, training facilities, and community-focused spaces, aiming to provide long-term benefits to both the team and the broader Tasmanian community.

In its centre, it will hold two MCG-size ovals, an aquatic centre, recovery zones, a fully equipped gymnasium, and office spaces for the team's operations and administration.

Example images show what AFL Tasmania's high-performance centre could look like. Image / Populous

The decision to use the Kingston Twin Ovals site was both cost-efficient and practical, according to Tasmanian Sports Minister Nick Duigan.

"The high-performance centre is one part of making Tasmania's very own AFL team a reality, something that Tasmanians have wanted for decades," Duigan said.

"We'll have the AFL training and administration facility here, we've got the JackJumpers [NBL basketball team] next door, and this will become an epicentre for elite sport in Tasmania."

Duigan says the decision means "practical completion" can occur by October 2027, the date agreed to with the AFL.

Devils chairman Grant O'Brien said announcing the centre was "really important" for the club's future.

Tasmania Football Club Launch. Shaun Kongwa and Mia Barwick sporting the new Tasmania Devils jumpers. Picture: Linda Higginson / Tasmania Football Club

"The training and administration facility is such an important building block for our club, and it will provide us with the ability to attract, retain and develop players but also be a strong connection point to the community. Not just here, but other communities around the state," O'Brien said.

"The facility is obviously critical and will contain a 9000sqm facility that will have equal areas for men and women, that's really important for our club.

"The upside of taking the time that we have to get to this point is that we are going to be able to move very quickly through the design process and, therefore, create momentum for the delivery of the facility."

Last year, an elector poll was held in Clarence municipality at a cost of $150,000 to address the centre's location.

More than 28,000 residents cast a vote in the poll on whether the AFL facility should be located entirely within Rosny parklands or if it should be built across the parklands and a park across the main road.

The result came back as 51.4 per cent in favour of having the centre entirely within the parklands, and 48.6 per cent against, according to the ABC.

Published by
Aidan Cellini