Hobart is pitching a unique stadium that will take Test matches indoors and to a new level. It is part of an ambitious project to bring Tasmanian footy onto the national stage through an AFL team in 2028. The centrepiece would be a giant 23,000-seater stadium at Macquarie Point. But it is the see-through roof that will really set it apart.
It’s an innovative design that will allow the stadium to host daytime Test matches but also provide a venue for the fast-paced, nighttime T20 showdowns under lights. This could potentially make Hobart the first place in the world to stage Test cricket indoors. The focus, however, is firmly on the traditional red-ball format according to Anne Beach, CEO of the Macquarie Point Development Corporation.
“Our main goal is to get Test cricket under the roof,” Anne Beach said. “The tricky part is getting official approval before construction even begins. We need to get official sailors from Cricket Tasmania, Cricket Australia, and the International Cricket Council throughout design. We’re working their all the details to have the ICC with everything they need to give the green light.”
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Specifically in cricket, getting it precisely right is precisely what Beach highlights, so that’s not going to be easy. Alistair Richardson explains how they managed to get past perhaps the biggest concern—the height of the roof.
The world’s largest timber-roofed stadium could be constructed in Tasmania. Updated designs have been unveiled for the 23,000-seater Mac Point Multipurpose Stadium in Hobart. The stadium would be partly constructed with Tasmanian timber and feature a fixed ETFE roof rising to a… pic.twitter.com/297tYeVw8a
— The B1M (@TheB1M) July 11, 2024
“Cricket Australia was concerned the ball might reach the roof, like it does sometimes in Marvel Stadium in Melbourne,” says Alistair Richardson. “So we used Hawk-Eye technology to track the highest balls ever hit in a match. And you know what? No ball has gone anywhere near above 50 meters. That’s why we designed the roof to be 50 meters high – well above anything a batsman could ever hit.”
Not to say that such meticulous attention is reserved for the roof alone. The design minimizes shadows on the pitch so as to give players and people viewing a perfect view. Cricket Tasmania chairman David Boon, a legend of the game himself, can’t wait to see this project come to life.
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“This is a great opportunity for Tasmania to lead the charge in cricket innovation,” David Boon said. “We’re all having a go at Test matches here, and we’re looking forward to working with everybody involved in taking this incredible design to fruition.”
There could be a bright future for cricket in Hobart; well, this indoor stadium proposal might prove to be that real game-changer.
