Sport in Hobart is intrinsically linked to its maritime environment and its strong traditions in cricket and Australian Rules football. The city's sporting infrastructure is concentrated around a few key venues and natural assets.
Sailing and the Sydney to Hobart
The Derwent River is a premier sailing venue, hosting numerous yacht clubs along its banks. The pinnacle of this maritime sporting culture is the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Commencing in Sydney on Boxing Day, the fleet navigates the challenging Bass Strait before racing up the Derwent to finish at Constitution Dock in Hobart. The arrival of the yachts over the New Year period is a major civic event that transforms the waterfront into a festival hub.
Cricket and Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval (commercially known as Blundstone Arena), located on the eastern shore of the river, is the spiritual home of Tasmanian cricket. It serves as the home ground for the Tasmanian Tigers in domestic competitions and the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League (BBL). The stadium also regularly hosts international Test, One Day International (ODI), and T20 matches.
Australian Rules Football
Australian Rules football (AFL) is the dominant winter code in Hobart. Local community leagues, such as the Southern Tasmanian Football League, have deep historical roots and high participation rates. While Bellerive Oval hosts occasional AFL premiership matches, Tasmania has long campaigned for its own team. The state has been granted an AFL license, with the team (the Tasmania Devils) set to enter the national competition, a structural development that includes plans for a new purpose-built stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart.
Basketball
Tasmania is represented in the National Basketball League (NBL) by the Tasmania JackJumpers. While the team considers the entire state its home and is headquartered in the north, they play a significant portion of their home games at MyState Bank Arena (formerly the Derwent Entertainment Centre) in the Hobart suburb of Glenorchy, drawing large local crowds.