Media heavyweight and former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has thrown his full support behind Tasmania’s AFL team and stadium, urging the state to “get on with it” at a major business event in Hobart.
Speaking at the Tasmania Football Club’s inaugural “In the Devils Corner” event, hosted in partnership with Devil’s Corner winery, McGuire drew on his experience transforming Collingwood to argue why Tasmania needs to think big.
“You can be handing out gold bars in … Salamanca Place, and someone will complain they’re too heavy,” McGuire said. “At some stage, you’ve got to take the opportunity and go with it.”
The veteran broadcaster’s backing comes as the stadium project faces ongoing political and community debate.
McGuire directly addressed critics, comparing Tasmania’s situation to Collingwood’s controversial move from Victoria Park in the 1990s.
“I had to stand before the Collingwood members and say, we’re going to leave Victoria Park,” he said. “Within a few years, we’re in the grand final. We’d gone from 15,000 members to now 120,000 members.”
McGuire argued that modern stadiums are economic powerhouses, pointing to venues like the MCG and Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium as examples of how infrastructure drives growth.
“The knock-on effect of economic prosperity that these stadiums bring is absolutely profound,” he said. “Great stadiums make great amounts of money if designed properly first time.”
“I think sometimes the economic rationalists, and the politicians, and people of good heart, who are really concerned of what might go wrong, need to have a look at what might go right, and just see what you’ve got this opportunity.”
The media identity became passionate when discussing opportunities for young Tasmanians, describing the “gig economy” and international career prospects that major sporting venues create.
“Everywhere I go, I find Australians who have worked at the Australian Open, the Grand Prix, the MCG,” McGuire said. “Tasmanians deserve that opportunity to be part of the big time.”
He praised Devils CEO Brendan Gale, describing him as “one of your own who reinvented the game for the Richmond Football Club.”
“You’ve got somebody like Brendan Gale who’s running it. Don’t waste them. Don’t break their hearts,” McGuire urged.
Looking ahead, McGuire warned against building outdated infrastructure, saying that stadiums built before Wi-Fi and 5G technology “may as well have been Noah’s Ark.”
