How new upgrades will lift the Silverdome

JackJumpers coach Scott Roth hopes things can “get moving” on the upgrades, with Cairns coach Adam Forde likening the venue’s humid conditions to “like a practice session in Cairns” after the Taipans’ 75-69 upset on Saturday night.

The air conditioning wasn’t working, resulting in tough conditions for players where the ball got slippery at times.

”It (upgrades) have been talked about for quite a long time but ultimately it’s not just for the JackJumpers. In general, the facilities around the state need to be improved across the board,” Roth said.

“This is one of the venues they can make a huge improvement, not just for us but anyone else playing here.

“Whenever they want to get moving on it, it will not only be good for us but the rest of the state.”

Two pop-up bars to reduce queues were unveiled at the Jackies’ clash with Cairns on Saturday, the tip of the iceberg of upgrades sorely needed by the outdated venue.

The $12 million upgrade, due for completion midway to late next year, will increase capacity from 3250 to 4000, improve food and beverage, change room and corporate facilities and pay for new replay screens.

The Jackies, who also host South-East Melbourne at the Silverdome on Thursday, as well as the NBL, have made no secret upgrades are badly needed to guarantee games continue to be played there.

JackJumpers boss Christine Finnegan told this masthead in February that complaints about the venue from rival teams only enhanced the real possibility they would be forced to abandon the venue.

“Very, very (close to pulling the pin). And that’s not a JackJumpers call, that’s a league call,” Finnegan said.

“It’s also the call of the other teams to say we just refuse to play in an inferior facility.

“We do like to think of ourselves as one of the best leagues in the world. But you then can’t call yourself that if you’re asking your players to play in facilities they don’t believe are up to standard.

“The Silverdome over a number of years has been let go, this injection of funding is going to help not just us but other users of the facility.”

Stadiums Tasmania CEO James Avery said the upgrades will not only help the venue retain Jackies games, but make it better placed to bid for concerts and other non sporting events.

Netball could be the other big winner, with Netball Tasmania’s new boss Penny Shearer expressing a keen desire to continue chasing the state’s own Super Netball franchise.

Renders of the Silverdome upgrades will be available to view at this week’s JackJumpers games.

“We’re really keen for patrons to get an idea of how great the venue is going to be once the redevelopment’s completed,” Avery said.

“The upgrades are important for a range of reasons. It strengthens our position to attract and retain top tier content like the JackJumpers, but also enhances our ability to go out and bring other new events to the venue we haven’t seen in there before.

“Venues like this need to keep evolving and stay up to date with current day best practices. Patrons coming to the venue expect a certain level of service and a certain level of comfort. “The Silverdome is no different to no other venue where it has to keep pace with those requirements. These upgrades are going to go a long way to satisfying those.

“It’s important Launceston gets to experience JackJumpers games. We’ve worked really hard to ensure we’ve cemented their future in Launceston by improving the amenities at the venue.”

Tasmania will also enter the WNBL in 2026-27, and the Silverdome is expected to host a high number of games.

“We can’t wait to welcome that team to the Silverdome,” Avery said.

“We expect the WNBL team to be also very well supported, so an increase in capacity is critical. There’s a lot of people who would love to get to JackJumpers games, but can’t because of capacity issues.

While Tasmania won’t host any Super Netball matches next year, Avery was keen to attract more games to the state and hopes Tasmania would eventually get a license.

He said the improved facilities can only help its bargaining power.

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“It certainly doesn’t hurt. Leagues all around the world are looking at venues very closely when you enter into discussions about new teams,” he said.

“The Silverdome has a good history of staging Super Netball fixtures, and it’s something we’re certainly keen to continue.

“The best scenario of course is if Tassie gets its own team, we’d all support that and be delighted to see that. Between the Silverdome and MyState Bank Arena, you have two ideal venues for that competition.”

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