North Melbourne deal seals three AFL games a year for Hobart
The North Melbourne Football Club will continue playing games at Bellerive Oval after the Hobart City Council agreed to continue a sponsorship deal.
The council last night voted overwhelmingly to continue its funding arrangement with the Kangaroos for the next two years.
The Kangaroos will play three games each year at a total cost of $600,000 over the two years to ratepayers.
Lord Mayor Damon Thomas said games provided businesses with a mid-winter boost.
"It activates the city in such an important way during the winter time, it allows our traders, our business community to have an incredibly solid period of trading while the football is on," he said.
"It also creates new jobs directly related to the games, but it saves and supports other jobs which might otherwise be lost were football not played at that level in this state."
Two alderman voted against the deal.
Greens alderman Helen Burnet said the deal was a form of corporate welfare when there was already sponsorship from the state-owned ferry company TT-Line.
"I feel that spending so much of council's and ratepayer's money is a mistake," she said.
"Whilst the AFL obviously brings some benefits, why should we as a council be coughing up more money, more public money, on top of the TT-Line's commitment?"
North Melbourne's chief executive Carl Dilena has welcomed the deal.
The club will now work with the council and TT-Line to finalise details.
"Tasmania, for football generally, has one of the highest participation rates in the country," he said.
"We're absolutely thrilled at the outcome ... and congratulate council on their due diligence and the report that they've done.
"The third piece of this is finalising the arrangements with Cricket Tasmania for the use of Blundstone Arena and we're at final agreement stage on that as well."
Tasmania's Tourism Council's Luke Martin also applauded the decision.
"It's just a positive thing to make Hobart a happening and exciting place and that's what AFL does," he said.
"The fact the council has come to the party, and also with TT-Line, safeguards three games of AFL football in the south which along with football games in the north means that there's a pretty significant stake in the AFL now which is good for the state and good for tourism and hospitality operators for both ends of the island."
