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The AFL’s Hawthorn Football Club and the Tasmanian Government have announced an extension of their 25-year partnership that will see the Hawks play four home matches in the 2026 and 2027 premiership seasons at the UTAS Stadium in Launceston.

Announcing the $9.1 million sponsorship deal, Tasmania’s Minister for Sports and Events, Nick Duigan advised that “the Tasmanian Government is pleased to be entering into a new sponsorship agreement with Hawthorn Football Club for the 2026 and 2027 AFL seasons.

“With the return on our investment pegged at around 5:1, this new agreement will generate about $46 million for our economy and that is on top of the enjoyment it brings local footy fans.

“Our Government is committed to creating opportunities for more Tasmanians to have access to live sporting content, and it’s fantastic to see the enthusiasm of Tasmanians attending major sporting events."

Justifying the expenditure, Minister Duigan added “the numbers show that Tasmanians love getting out and watching live AFL games, with an average of more than 12,300 attending each of the games played at UTAS Stadium in 2024.

“We are pleased to be able to bring these games to Tasmanians on home soil, and to provide young people around the state with pathway opportunities to elite-level sports.”

Welcoming the extension, City of Launceston Mayor commented “we know AFL in Launceston is a huge economic driver, conservatively creating an estimated $46 million of economic activity.

"The City of Launceston is really pleased that the State Government has been able to work collaboratively with the AFL and Hawthorn to secure this first-class sporting content for UTAS Stadium."

First playing at the ground in 2001, Hawthorn have won 74.4% of matches in Launceston, including seven of their last eight games.

Their continued presence in the city will also allow the club to continue their off-field work with the Tasmanian community in areas such as mental health, literacy, food education, physical education, and road/safety education.

The new AFL side in the Tasmania Devils is set to join the AFL in 2028.

In November last year, North Melbourne ended its link with Tasmania wherein it played at least two home matches each year since 2012 at Hobart's Bellerive Oval.

New Hobart Stadium design
The Macquarie Point Development Corporation has today released up-to-date designs for the planned new Hobart AFL Stadium.

Renders show the stadium’s appearance from various angles, along with its positioning alongside the relocated Goods Shed.

Main image credit: Shutterstock. Middle image :shows Launceston's UTAS Stadium. Lower image: The latest designs for the planned new Hobart AFL Stadium.

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