Tasmania's inaugural senior coach Ken Hinkley has thrown his full support behind the controversial Macquarie Point stadium project.
Hinkley — who was unveiled as the successful candidate to lead the Devils into their AFL era from 2028 — pointed to his own experiences in South Australia and the importance of having a world-class venue to build a football club around.
The redevelopment of Adelaide Oval opened the doors for AFL games involving both South Australian clubs from 2014, with the venue quickly becoming a fortress for the Crows and Power and a key part of the state's football identity. Over a decade on, Hinkley believes Tasmania can experience a similar transformation.
The Devils stadium is expected to be ready for Round 1, 2031.
"You've got to compete in the AFL, and to compete in the AFL, you've got to have a high-performance centre and you've got to have a great stadium," Hinkley said.
"I can't wait. It's a little way away, but I can't wait for the noise of 23,000 Tasmanians roaring under a roof. It's going to be so good. It's going to be such a great place to be.
"I've experienced some great moments over in Adelaide at a great stadium, and what that stadium did for the city of South Australia, I don't think Tasmanians fully understand what this stadium is actually going to do for them.
"It's going to put them big time in the world of entertainment, not just football."
The Devils will split their time between the Launceston and Hobart ovals, with a 6-5 split in favour of Hawthorn's secondary home.
Despite the fears of the cost of the project ballooning, Devils CEO Brendon Gale said in April he was confident about the construction and its future.
"It'll be ready early to mid-2030," Gale explained on SEN.
"But then it needs to be commissioned, and all the wrinkles ironed out. So, we're told it'll be ready for Round 1, 2031.
"In the meantime, we'll play at the existing venues. That's UTAS Stadium in Launceston and Ninja Stadium (in) Bellerive, where North Melbourne have played.
"They're satisfactory venues. In fact, York Park (UTAS) is undergoing a $130 million renovation itself. That'll be one of…probably the best regional venues in the country.
"So we'll play there, and it'll probably be a superior footy venue than Hobart (Ninja Stadium). We'd probably be playing the majority of our games there.
"Ultimately, it's up to the AFL."
