AFL here in 2011
Mike Bruce
THE Gold Coast will become an AFL city in 2011 after a dramatic $60million funding pledge for a new stadium unveiled by the State Government yesterday.
In the biggest announcement of the election campaign so far, Premier Anna Bligh revealed the State Government would tip in $60million to redevelop the existing stadium at Carrara, effectively paving the way for the AFL to sign off on the the nation's 17th AFL licence to be based on the Coast.
Not only will the windfall mean the Coast will now secure its own AFL team, it may also provide a fillip for the city's bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games with a $130million facility with a seating capacity of 25,000.
``It will be suitable for use in the Commonwealth Games if our bid to attract them to the Gold Coast is successful, and it will be home to a new AFL team for the Coast,'' said Ms Bligh. ``This will create a 175m x 128m AFL oval capable of being scaled to accommodate an international-standard cricket oval, athletics field and soccer field on the Gold Coast.''
The announcement removes the last stumbling block for a sign-off on the Coast's AFL licence a funding deal to build a new AFL-compatible stadium and kills speculation surrounding the AFL's real desire for a Gold Coast team.
Speculation about the prospects of a Coast team began to mount late last year when the AFL Commission repeatedly postponed a decision on the bid, despite affirming that the application met all criteria.
The state's $60million funding builds on the Gold Coast City Council's pledge of $20million, but is contingent on the AFL securing the shortfall of $50million from either its own funds or the Federal Government.
But Ms Bligh was `optimistic' that the Federal Government would come to the party for a good part of the money and has stressed to both Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese that the project was vital for the Coast.
``The Federal Government is still going through its assessment process ... but I'm optimistic about a federal contribution,'' Ms Bligh told The Gold Coast Bulletin. ``If they (Federal Government) only come part way, then the AFL can source the funds from their own resources or borrowings.''
While all stadium operational costs will have to be covered by the AFL under the deal, its ownership will transfer from the council to the State Government something the council may take issue with.
Against the backdrop of the global financial crisis and a crippled state budget, Ms Bligh has engineered a funding model that will cost the state just $9million in its first two years and will see the AFL carrying most of the upfront construction costs.
The state will pay just $2million next financial year, $7million in 2001-12 and $51million the following year, `when the economic situation should be better'.
``We could not have got this deal over the line if the AFL had not been prepared to structure the financing in a way that fitted our finances, but equally our commitment gives the AFL certainty on which to proceed,'' said Ms Bligh.
``In return we expect the AFL to start construction within months (of the first funding allocation).''
Ms Bligh said the stadium redevelopment would not only provide 350 much-needed construction jobs and ongoing operational jobs at the stadium but also a major boost for a beleaguered tourism industry. With building set to start possibly later this year, it also came at a time when other major projects, like the desalination plant, had wound down.
``This will start generating construction jobs now. The construction industry on the Coast has been hit by a rapid and serious deterioration in the property market, so it's construction projects like this that will keep people in work.''
One independent study estimated a Coast-based AFL team would generate about $34million a year into the local economy, with 90 per cent of it flowing money will flow to hotels, tourism operators, restaurants, retailers and transport companies.
``We have seen with Skilled Stadium and Suncorp Stadium that investment in these projects brings people from other parts of the country to attend major events,'' Ms Bligh told The Bulletin. ``It's now up to Gold Coast tourism operators to convince people to make a weekend on the Gold Coast part of every Melbourne AFL fan's footy season.''
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/03/09/56921_gold-coast-top-story.html
