Most sports fans, when they hear "Hobart", immediately see the beautiful yachts and the great Sydney-Hobart Race in front of their eyes. However, team sports fans will soon associate this charming city in Tasmania with an ultra-modern stadium.

Beautifully situated on the coast, the stadium (Hobart's Regatta Point) will have a retractable roof (currently only one stadium in the AFL league has such a roof) jutting out onto the river Derwent. The arena will host 27,000 spectators.

© Philp Lighton Architects

The location of the stadium is best described by its architects - The stadium beds into the coastal foreshore and extends out over the river with a combination of reclaimed land and suspended wharf platforms creating an activated interface between city and river, resulting in a pedestrian concourse perimeter that becomes an extension of the existing landscape.

The premier of Tasmania argues that the construction of the stadium in Hobart will contribute to increasing the importance of the city on the sports arena of Australia and Oceania. Football (Australian Football League) will be the most important sport in this venue. Tasmania's authorities have already applied to join the competition in a few years.

Rugby matches will also be played there. Moreover, soccer, attracting more and more fans in the southern hemisphere, will also be an important element of the island's development strategy. The stadium will meet the requirements of each of the three leagues. Interestingly, additional indoor facility for basketball, netball and other sports and entertainment events is also included in the project.

© Philp Lighton Architects

The construction cost was estimated at $ 750 million, and work is expected to end in 2027. Tasmanian premier Peter Gutwein said funding would be sought from all levels of government and from the private sector and equity raising.

As usual with such investments, there were voices that the location would have a negative impact on the natural environment. The island authorities are reassuring that the site would have minimal impact on residential areas and is ideally located given its proximity to the city and to future passenger transport links.