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Federal and state governments pledge $60m for regional sports hubs to tackle youth participation slump in football, AFL and cricket
05 November 2026
Tasmania’s planned Bayview and Devonport projects would add new courts, ovals and indoor facilities as governments look to reverse participation pressure in regional sport.
The Bayview Secondary College Sports Precinct and a major Devonport redevelopment each represent a proposed $30 million development and are both being pitched by respective local councils, with state government funding, as a way to attract new players and improve pathways in regional football, AFL and cricket.
A proposed new precinct in Clarence City, south of Hobart, would add multiple outdoor sports fields, an indoor sports stadium and all-weather courts, and a high-performance gymnasium for training, games and community use. Developed in partnership with the Tasmanian and federal governments, the $30 million project is now fully costed and supported by a detailed Feasibility Study and Business Case, but has yet to secure full federal funding and approvals.
"Significant facility shortages in Clarence have been identified, with reserves and infrastructure stretched to capacity," Clarence City Council says in a project outline. "The shortages are driving increased development in northern suburbs."
Demand modelling by the council identified an immediate need for an additional seven indoor basketball courts, six new netball courts, three Australian Rules Football ovals, two new cricket ovals including a second turf wicket, and a new full-size soccer field to meet local participation demand.
In the northwest, the Devonport community sporting redevelopment is also aimed at widening local participation and improving access to sports infrastructure alongside a construction windfall. The $30 million package by Devonport City Council is expected to deliver a new six-court indoor facility for netball and basketball and introduce benefits for multiple sports including cricket, football, cycling and athletics.
"The new facilities will support a wider range of sports and local community usage, as well as potential state and national competition access," the Tasmanian government says in a project statement. The state has committed $12.5 million to catalyse private investment in the project.
Council reports show the two projects have met multiple points of cooperation with relevant state sport bodies, including Cricket, AFL, and Football associations, and have invited contributions from over fifty local sports clubs.
Leon Chambers, Clarence City mayor, says the two projects represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to upgrade regional facilities and re-imagine how sports are conducted and consumed.
"There have been a lot of missed opportunities in the past, with governments coming and going, and priorities shifting with each election cycle," he said. "Now we have a comprehensive plan that is costed and outweighed by tangible local support. We need federal funding to realise it."
Both projects have been explained as key tools in restoring participation to regional youth sport by improving facilities in areas that are traditionally underserved. AFL Tasmania's planning documents emphasise the need for increased local facilities to support participation growth, and note that only a selection of top-end talent would be trained up at an elite level. Similarly, the Devonport indoor project is expected to work for nearly one hundred thousand participants annually.
The Launceston City Council is liaising with the Tasmanian government on securing resources for the Bayview precinct, Clarence mayor Leon Chambers says, and has a meeting planned with senior Coalition leaders.
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