'Changes dramatically': AFL chief Andrew Dillon sends clear warning to Tassie ahead of stadium vote
AFL chief Andrew Dillon has reaffirmed his stance on the Tassie Devils' entry into the competition: no new stadium equals no team.
The Tasmanian state government's upper house will vote in late July to officially decide on whether they will build the near $1b stadium at Macquarie Point, after recently confirming the $200m cost blowout.
The initial agreement came back in 2023 with the promise of the stadium, something that was crucial to ensuring the support of the 18 existing AFL clubs and the commission.
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A new render of what the Tassie stadium would look like. Twitter
Devils chief Brendon Gale was clear cut in his comments in June regarding the situation, saying if the vote goes down, he and everyone else involved is out of a job.
That's something that Dillon hasn't shied away from, saying if their decision goes against the building of the stadium, the best case scenario for Tassie is starting from scratch with an entirely new business model.
"The licence that was granted and the licence came from the Tasmanian taskforce, which was backed by the Tasmanian government," Dillon told 3AW on Friday.
"And an important part of the Tasmanian taskforce's bid for the licence, and what underpinned the business case behind it and the competitiveness of the team, was that there would be a new state-of-the-art stadium at Macquarie Point with at least 23,000 capacity and with a roof.
"That was part of the bid that was put forward. That bid was then accepted by the AFL executive, endorsed by the commission and then the clubs, who have the right to veto, did not exercise that.
"The licence is conditional on (the stadium) happening," Dillon continued.
"It would be an entirely new application (if the vote goes south). The whole business case would be different.
"All the work that was done in relation to (player) retention, the whole business case around the club changes dramatically.
"The licence that was granted was conditional on a stadium with a roof at Macquarie Point with a capacity of at least 23,000."
Speaking on Nine's Footy Classified on Monday, Sam McClure stated that the vote was effectively a '50-50' proposition.
