TASMANIA’S home of AFL football will be known as University of Tasmania Stadium from next season following the signing of a five-year naming rights sponsorship deal.

Aurora Stadium, originally known as York Park, will be known as University of Tasmania Stadium in AFL fixtures and on AFL football broadcasts around the nation.

UTAS stadium, which will be the Tasmanian home of the Hawthorn football club, sits beside the site of the proposed new $300 million University campus at Inveresk in Launceston.

Energy retailer Aurora Energy had sponsored the 21,000 capacity stadium since 2005.

University Provost Professor Mike Calford said the naming rights deal was the start of ongoing investment in the northern community by the university.

“University of Tasmania Stadium will be a beacon for the transformation of Launceston into a true university city and is symbolic of our strengthening relationship,” Prof Calford said.

“It will be a clear signal to Tasmania and the rest of the country that education will sit right at the heart of our communities and future economy.”

Prof Calford said the sponsorship would deliver a range of benefits across the life of the agreement.

He said part of the agreement’s appeal rested with the quality and profile of the facility, along with its central role in the life of Launceston and the northern region.

“University of Tasmania Stadium will significantly lift our national profile, and our profile with younger people both here and interstate,” Prof Calford said.

“We will be talking directly with the young fans of various codes from their primary school years onward.”

media_camera Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten, left, and University of Tasmania Provost Mike Calford at Aurora Stadium, which will soon be renamed University of Tasmania Stadium. Picture: BRUCE MOUNSTER

Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten said the council had sought a new naming rights sponsor so it could maintain and improve the facilities.

“A world-class facility like York Park, which is commonly regarded as having the best playing surface of any AFL venue in the country, delivers fantastic benefits to Northern Tasmania but it is also expensive to operate and maintain,” he said.

He said the council had held discussions with a number of potential sponsors.

The stadium will also host Ricky Ponting’s Biggest Game of Cricket on January 27 and has in the past hosted A-League soccer matches, motocross events and concerts.

An Aurora spokesman said the retailer had not sought to renew its sponsorship.

A Hawthorn Football club spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.