The City of Launceston has disputed media reports stating the council is potentially considering selling University of Tasmania Stadium to ease the financial pressure on its ratepayers.
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UTAS Stadium, situated at Invermay, hosts a number of AFL games during the home-and-away season, with four Hawthorn matches being played there this year alone. Council said the games bring significant economic activity to Launceston - about $30 million worth every year.
Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten said the City of Launceston had no plans to sell the stadium.
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He said work on council's long-term financial plan involved the exchange of "a number of ideas and proposals ... with a view to maximising value for ratepayers".
"As a council, we manage assets valued at in excess of $2 billion on behalf of our community, so it's extremely important we manage them in a sustainable, responsible way," Cr van Zetten said.
"In respect of the stadium, we are interested in examining how other stadiums around Australia are managed. There are many different models of management and operating structures, and different revenue streams in similar facilities across Australia.
"It's about understanding those models and seeing if we can do things better with our own stadium. Our focus is on how to ensure we're maximising efficiencies at the stadium to ensure it is sustainable into the future."
Cr van Zetten said council intended to ensure the "first class" stadium maintained its high standard, while also "maximising efficiencies where we can".
