‘Corporate bullies’: Essendon boss warned AFL over stadium roof demand

Only one AFL venue across the country – the AFL-owned Marvel Stadium – has a roof. Barham’s comments at the commission gathering mark the first sign of some flexibility from the clubs on the game’s insistence on a roof. Brad Scott and David Barham. Credit: Getty Images Barham took over the Essendon presidency in 2022 and has worked to rebuild and reshape the Bombers alongside coach Brad Scott and chief executive Craig Vozzo. As a media boss, Barham has been a key figure in the game for more than three decades, since Ross Oakley ran the then newly expanded AFL.

Barham’s comments were confirmed by three club presidents present at the talks held shortly before the Australian Football Hall of Fame presentation. All three refused to be quoted due to the confidential nature of commission meetings. Barham was also contacted for comment. AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon reminded Barham that the roof was part of the original deal signed off by the AFL and the Tasmanian government, which will go to the polls on July 19. The AFL said in a statement to this masthead that the Devils were continuing to make great progress under chairman Grant O’Brien and CEO Brendon Gale.

“More than 210,000 members have signed up and pledged their support, signifying great momentum and backing for the club,” the statement said. Loading “A clear component of the licence bid from the Tasmanian taskforce was a new roofed stadium at Macquarie Point with a capacity of at least 23,000. The AFL’s continued position is that this is a condition for the grant of the 19th licence – a position that was reaffirmed at the most recent presidents’ meeting earlier this month.” The Tasmanian state election was forced by a no-confidence motion against Rockliff, which was tied and decided by the speaker’s casting vote. The election is seen, in part, as a referendum on the stadium and therefore the team, among other economic issues.

But there is a growing sentiment among some AFL powerbrokers that the push for a Tasmanian team, along with the 2028 start date, has progressed too far and garnered too much support for the project to be delayed now. The Devils remain optimistic that they will launch VFL and VFLW teams next season. In early 2023, then AFL boss Gillon McLachlan pledged to spend $360 million on the Tasmanian team over a decade. That total included more than $90 million in game development, $33 million on three separate talent academies and $210 million to cover regular club distributions, including specialist work on the club’s list development. Tasmania’s club distributions from the AFL won’t match those of league-dependent clubs, such as GWS, Gold Coast and St Kilda, but will match that of the richest clubs, such as Collingwood, which receives only base funding. The state government has pledged to fund the Tasmanian Devils to the tune of $12.5 million a year for a decade.

The AFL also pledged to contribute at least $15 million to the new Hobart stadium, a figure it has not yet offered to increase. The Tasmanian government has pledged $375 million to the stadium, with the federal government pledging $240 million. With the cost of the stadium expected to blow out to more than $1 billion, the shortfall is expected to come from state borrowings. Loading The new club’s training and administration facility at Kingston in Hobart is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027 and will cost the state government $105 million, with the AFL contributing $10 million. The AFL remains insistent it is working towards a 2028 start date for the 19th team, with new list rules and concessions currently being completed at head office, to be approved at commission talks in August. Most Devils home games in years one and two would be fixtured at UTAS Stadium in Launceston, where a $130 million redevelopment is being jointly funded by the state and federal governments and scheduled for completion in early 2027.

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