AFL/AFLW High Performance Centre

The High Performance Centre will be the training and administration facility of the Tasmania Football Club. The centre will be situated across two locations, Rosny Parklands (the former Rosny Golf Course) and Charles Hand Park.  

Currently, it is proposed for the main training facility and administration building to be in Rosny Parklands, with a smaller facility in Charles Hand Park. 

The main facility will consist of an oval the same size as the MCG playing surface, and a training and administration building housing indoor training facilities such as a gym, pool, indoor field, as well as housing the club’s administration. It is planned for elements of the facility to be publicly accessible and provide services to the community, as well as a hospitality element such a café like the Hurricanes Café at Blundstone arena. 

The High Performance Centre is not a stadium and will not consist of large stands of seating circling the playing field. 

The second site will house a smaller sized oval and small building with changeroom facilities. 

The middle third section of the Rosny Parklands between the Clarence City Council chambers and the Tasman Highway (see concept drawing below) is currently being investigated for the main facility of the High Performance Centre. The Centre will be surrounded by a cultural park, event space and playground at the southern end, which will be an extension of Rosny Farm, and a wild park with natural vegetation and walking trails at the Gordons Hill Rd end of the Parklands. 

The oval on Charles Hand Park will sit towards the Bastick St and Riawena Rd corner of the park. 

The final design as decided through the development of a precinct plan for the Rosny Parklands and Charles Hand Park will supersede the concepts for the area as detailed in the City Heart Plan.

There were many elements of the original City Heart Plan which were highly anticipated by the community and council will look at the possibility of including those facilities and developments in other areas of the City Heart Plan.

Council is committed to working with the Tasmanian Government deliver a High Performance Centre that best fits with the principals of the City Heart Plan.

See more about the City Heart Plan project at: www.ccc.tas.gov.au/city-heart-project

Across the country, particularly in Victoria, AFL training facilities are community hubs and used extensively by the public. Outside of training and maintenance times, both ovals will be available for the community to use recreationally and there is a desire to run local organised sports on the Charles Hand Park oval.

The area surrounding the High Performance Centre’s main facility in the Rosny Parklands is set to be developed with a cultural park, event spaces, a playground and walking trails.

Through the development of a precinct plan for the Rosny Parklands and Charles Hand Park, council will be able to detail where various facilities, such as dog exercise areas, could be located. The precinct plan will be put to the community for consultation.

No.

Both sites are owned, and the land will remain the property of Clarence City Council. It is anticipated a long-term lease will be arranged to facilitate the development and operation of the AFL High Performance Centre and secondary oval.

Reference to a $1 lease is relating to an agreement between the Tasmanian Government and the Tasmania Football Club.

The terms of the lease agreement between Clarence City Council and the Tasmanian Government will be decided at a later time. The priority at this time is development of a Heads of Agreement between the Department of State Growth and Council.

Council also plans to collect rates on the land.

No.

Clarence City Council is not paying for, or subsidising the building of the High Performance Centre, or either ovals. The development is funded by the Tasmanian government and the AFL.

Community consultation was undertaken over a four-week period in line with Council’s standard practice, with a survey open from 10 October to 7 November 2023.

The survey received 959 responses; the second highest response of any survey Clarence City Council has conducted.

There was a coordinated effort to engage the community including:

• an online survey on the Your Say Clarence website with an elevated and prominent presence on council’s website and the Your Say Clarence page
• an in-person engagement presence at the youth-oriented Paint Party Run event at Rosny Parklands on Saturday 4 November 2023
• four Facebook posts throughout the consultation period (10 October, 27 October, 6 November, and 7 November), reaching 27,963 people
• flyers, and paper surveys in the Council Chambers foyer.

The aim of the consultation was to reach a good mix of ages and family types, and to hear from residents from right across Clarence.

In addition, there was significant media interest during the consultation period, with the ability to participate in the consultation mentioned in various articles and interviews.

The full consultation report is available on the Your Say Clarence website, or via this link – www.yoursay.ccc.tas.gov.au/afl-high-performance-centre-community-consultation

The High Performance Centre is likely to generate noise similar to a community football ground in use on any given Saturday during winter. The position of the High Performance Centre means any noise is unlikely to be able to be heard from the closest residential properties.

The secondary oval will omit a similar level of noise when in use.

Through the development of a precinct plan for the Rosny Parklands and Charles Hand Park, council will carefully consider the traffic management of the area.

Council is preparing to undertake traffic and parking modelling to help in assisting any future demands on our roads.

The construction of the High Performance Centre and the second the oval on Charles Hand Park does not pose a threat to the operation of Rosny College. Rosny College and the site in which it is located is owned and managed by the Department of Education, Children and Young People.

The Rosny Park Tennis Club has been an engaged and valued stakeholder throughout this process. Any impact on the tennis club is yet to be determined and will be resolved through the development of a plan for the precinct.

No decision has been made in regard to the future of the Rosny skate park. All decisions in relation to the AFL High Performance Centre will be informed by the precinct planning process, which will be put out to the public for consultation before being finalised.

A range of site options for the HPC in Clarence have been tested with the aim of identifying a preferred option that would optimise the benefits to the community, minimise impacts such as displacement of other community uses, and satisfy the AFL team’s operational needs and desires for the future High Performance Centre.

All scenarios have benefits and drawbacks. Locating the High Performance Centre is Rosny Park was desired due to the amenity that an urban centre can provide to players and staff. Clarence City Council could only include council-owned land in its submission for the potential site.

Due to the requirements of a modern High Performance Centre and the likely displacement of the clubs and organisations currently using the venue, Blundstone Arena was not considered a suitable location. This was a decision out of council’s control.