Derwent Entertainment Centre facts for kids
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Ant's Nest, DEC, Devils' Den
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| Address | 601 Brooker Highway Glenorchy, TAS 7010 |
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| Location | City of Glenorchy |
| Coordinates | 42°49′27″S 147°16′58″E / 42.82417°S 147.28278°E |
| Owner | Tasmanian Government |
| Operator | LK Group |
| Capacity | 4,340 (NBL and netball) 5,500 (fully seated) 8,500 (general admission) |
| Surface | Concrete Hardwood (basketball) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1987 |
| Opened | 28 April 1989 |
| Renovated | 2021 |
| Architect | Blythe Yeung & Associates Architects, in partnership with Peter Hunt Architects (1989) Philip Lighton Architects (2021) |
| Builder | Hansen Yuncken (1989) Vos Construction and Joinery (2021) |
| Tenants | |
| Hobart Devils (NBL) (1989–1996) Hobart Chargers (NBL1 South) (2017–2023) Tasmania JackJumpers (NBL) (2021–present) Collingwood Magpies (SSN) (2022) Melbourne Mavericks (SSN) (2024-present) Southside Flyers (WNBL) (2022) Melbourne Tigers (NBL) (2005) Tasmania WNBL Team (WNBL) (2026-onward) |
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The Derwent Entertainment Centre (DEC), also known as MyState Bank Arena, is Tasmania's biggest indoor stadium. It is the main place in Hobart for large indoor sports games, events, and live shows.
The Tasmanian Government and the Glenorchy City Council helped create the DEC. It was the home court for the Hobart Devils basketball team in the NBL from 1989 to 1996. After the team's license was taken away, the City of Glenorchy took full ownership. This became a financial challenge for the city.
As Tasmania's largest indoor venue, the DEC has hosted many famous Australian and international music stars. These include Kylie Minogue, Bob Dylan, Carole King, Tina Turner, and The Beach Boys.
In 2020, the Tasmanian Government got a new NBL team license. The government bought the DEC from Glenorchy City Council. After big renovations, it became the home court for the Tasmania JackJumpers. This started in the 2021–22 NBL season. Since it reopened, the arena has sold almost all its tickets for events. Sporting events are always completely sold out!
Contents
History of the Arena
Building a New Home for Sports and Shows
In the early 1980s, people in Hobart saw a need for a flexible indoor venue. It could host sports, meetings, exhibitions, and international concerts. Even though Tasmania has a small population, it was a good place for musicians to visit. Basketball was also becoming popular. The Launceston Casino City team even won the NBL championship in 1981.
The Hobart Devils basketball team was doing well in the mid-1980s. They played at the smaller Kingborough Sports Centre. This showed that a bigger, specially built arena was needed. The new venue was built on land in Glenorchy. This land was created during the building of the Bowen Bridge.
Opening the Derwent Entertainment Centre
The Derwent Entertainment Centre (DEC) was planned to be the home of the Devils. The Tasmanian Government, Glenorchy City Council, and an Australian Bicentennial grant helped pay for it. Blythe Yeung and Associates Architects designed the building. Construction happened between 1987 and 1989.
The DEC was given to the Glenorchy City Council on March 14, 1989. It became the biggest indoor venue in Tasmania. It could hold 4,875 people seated, or 6,925 for standing events. The arena officially opened on April 28, 1989, with a Rick Astley concert. A special room there was later named the Astley Room to remember this first event.
Sports commentators often called the DEC the "Devils' Den" during the Devils' home games.
Early Sporting Highlights
On August 15, 1989, the Southern All Stars played against the Australian Boomers. The All Stars won by just one point, 99-98. Wayne McDaniel scored 22 points for the All Stars. Andrew Gaze led the Boomers with 25 points.
The Devils set a club record for points scored at the DEC on September 11, 1993. They beat the Townsville Suns 145–112.
Challenges and Changes
In June 1995, the coach of the Brisbane Bullets complained about security at the DEC. This was after fans threw objects at his team's bench. The complaint also asked for less loud artificial crowd noise.
Throughout the 1990s, the Devils faced financial problems. This led to their NBL license being taken away in 1996. The Devils played their last game at the DEC on September 27, 1996. They lost to the South East Melbourne Magic 79–101. The last NBL game at the DEC for a while was in December 2005. The Adelaide 36ers played the Melbourne Tigers in front of 2,416 fans.
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Special Events and Concerts
On December 8, 2009, His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave a public talk at the arena. The famous Harlem Globetrotters basketball team performed there in April 2013.
In 2015, the DEC hosted six shows of the musical Cats. Delta Goodrem was one of the stars.
On September 27 and 28, 2017, Elton John performed at the DEC. Nearly 5,000 fans attended each night. These were his first shows in Tasmania since 1990.
In February 2019, the venue was praised by people at a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert. This was after a power failure during the show.
New Ownership and Upgrades
Selling to the Tasmanian Government
In August 2018, the Glenorchy City Council decided to sell or lease the Derwent Entertainment Centre. In June 2019, the National Basketball League (NBL) showed interest in buying the DEC. They wanted to create a new Tasmanian NBL team and update the stadium.
In October 2019, Larry Kestelman, the NBL CEO, suggested building a new sports area. It would include facilities for a new NBL team, shops, restaurants, and a hotel. The Glenorchy City Council sold the DEC to the Tasmanian Government for $8 million. On July 2, 2020, the NBL announced Tasmania had its 10th NBL team.
The new state team was named the Tasmania JackJumpers. They started playing in the 2021–22 NBL season. The newly updated and renamed Derwent Entertainment Centre became their home arena in Hobart.
The 2021 Renovation Project
As part of the deal, the Tasmanian Government spent about $67-$68.5 million to upgrade the Derwent Entertainment Centre. This work started in 2021. Philp Lighton Architects designed the changes. Vos Construction and Joinery did the building work.
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein reopened the venue on November 10, 2021. The capacity increased to 4,340 for basketball and netball games. It can hold 5,500 people for fully seated events. For standing events, it can hold 8,500 people.
JackJumpers Win Big in 2024
After 35 years, the arena saw its first home victory in an NBL Grand Final game. The JackJumpers beat Melbourne United 82–77 in Game 2 of the 2024 NBL Finals on March 22, 2024.
Even though Melbourne United won Game 4 at MyState Bank Arena on March 28, the JackJumpers still won their first ever NBL championship. They beat Melbourne United 83-81 in Game 5 at John Cain Arena on March 31, 2024.
New Name: MyState Bank Arena
On June 9, 2021, it was announced that MyState Bank, a Tasmanian bank, signed a three-year deal. The DEC would now be known as MyState Bank Arena.
Future Plans for the Arena
In January 2023, NBL CEO Larry Kestelman suggested making the arena bigger. He said this would bring more money and jobs to the area. He also noted that the arena sells more tickets than any other venue in Australia for its size. This shows that more people want to attend events there. If the Tasmanian Government approves, the arena could hold over 6,000 people for JackJumpers games. It could also hold over 10,000 for standing concerts.
Most Attended Events
Ceremonies
- 3,851 – His Holiness the Dalai Lama, December 8, 2009
Concerts
- 7,000 – Foo Fighters, March 2, 2015
- 6,234 – Powderfinger, September 14, 2010
Basketball Games
- National Basketball League
- 4,685 – Tasmania JackJumpers vs Melbourne United, April 23, 2022
- 4,685 – Tasmania JackJumpers vs Melbourne United, April 30, 2022
- FIBA Basketball World Cup
- 4,000 – Australian Boomers vs New Zealand Tall Blacks, July 17, 2006
Where is MyState Bank Arena?
MyState Bank Arena is located between the River Derwent, the Brooker Highway, Tattersalls Park, and the Glenorchy Art and Sculpture Park. It is on Wilkinsons Point. You can get there by car using Loyd Road from the Brooker Highway. There are over 1,000 parking spots available.
Special Metro Tasmania buses go to the venue for big NBL games. They leave from the Glenorchy Interchange and the Hobart City Interchange. It's about a 1.8 km walk from the Glenorchy Interchange, which takes about 26 minutes.
See also
- List of indoor arenas in Australia
