Building an appropriate stadium is the final piece of the bid for a Tasmanian AFL club, league chief executive Gillon McLachlan says.
In a statement released following Monday's Commission meeting and discussion with all 18 clubs' presidents and CEOs, McLachlan said "10 of 11 workstreams" of the new side have been finalised, with only the stadium issue left to solve.
It comes a day after the Tasmanian government revealed plans for a 23,000-seat roofed venue at Macquarie Point in Hobart's CBD, committing half of the $750 million estimated cost.
McLachlan, who acknowledged football fans "overwhelmingly" wanted a Tasmanian side and said the presidents' meeting featured a positive discussion about the business case, said he was confident the stadium issue could be resolved.
"We and the Tasmanian Government agree that a new stadium is important to the success of a new club and the Tasmanian economy - and we agree that we will solve that together at the right time," he said.
"As the Tasmanian Premier said in his letter to presidents late last week, the State has committed considerable funding to both a roofed stadium solution and also to ensuring a 19th licence would be strong and sustainable.
"We also welcome the discussions with the Tasmanian government over support for a roofed stadium as part of their transformation of Macquarie Point into a sports and entertainment precinct that will change the city - and the State - and allow them to not only have AFL games but major sporting events and major music and entertainment events.
"While there is an extensive business case, the key message to the presidents today is that after working through the 11 mainstreams over the past year, we believe there is considerable financial, economic and emotional support for a Tasmanian team."
McLachlan said the federal government was yet to be asked for any funding for the new stadium, but said it had been briefed about potential plans.
