DEVILS president Guy Abel has laid down an ultimatum for a decision on where the club will be based next season.
Abel said yesterday the Devils will likely play home games at only two grounds next season, at Launceston Aurora Stadium and either Bellerive or North Hobart in the South -- spelling the end to the Devils' sole North-West Coast home game.
"We are looking at North Hobart long term and we are looking at whether or not that facility can continue to provide us with football departmental things,'' Abel said.
"We are looking at good training, gymnasium, rehab, medical and social facilities which we need to have next year in order to go into our second stint of five years.
"We need to get to a point where we need to get to only one venue in the South and one in the North.''
The team would need to know where it stood by the end of next month, he said.
He said there was no preference for a southern home ground as yet.
"What we have is the situation where the board is sitting down with AFL Tasmania and looking at all the issues,'' he said.
But he said no decision could be made until the TCA indicated whether it would be willing to share Bellerive.
"The TCA needs to make its position clear to us and then hopefully that will be known very shortly,'' he said. "It [a possible move] can't go forward at such time until we know what the TCA's position is.''
The push for just two home grounds will see the end of a Devonport home game.
Abel said the decision to end games on the North-West Coast was purely financial.
He said to increase the club's salary cap from $200,000 to $230,000, every home game must be profitable.
"When you look at the money this club costs to run - $1.35 million a year - you can't continue to operate at any venue that is not financially viable,'' Abel said.
"It has nothing to do with where the ground is stationed.
"It has everything to do with viability financially and at this point in time Devonport has not proven to be financially viable.''
Abel said he felt the axing of the Devonport game would not cost the Devils North-West Coast players.
"Once we can say to players we have a firm social basis, great training facilities, gymnasium, office facilities -- then that can become a factor to attract players to Hobart and be part of the Devils,'' he said.
Last Modified on 29/06/2005 09:00