It took 150 years to build it, now 50k are on board. This is how ...

Nearly 35 years after Matthew Richardson stood among a crowd of passionate Tasmanians and cheered his state on to a massive upset over Victoria, the Richmond great proudly unveiled the jumper of the AFL’s newest team in Davenport on Monday night.

Former AFL commissioner Alan Schwab left North Hobart Oval that after Tasmania upset the powerful Victorians in 1990 at North Hobart Oval declaring the time was nigh for the state to join the national league.

Frustration and false dawns followed, with moments of optimism and missteps that shredded hope, along with opposition from near and afar that stalled momentum until the AFL finally confirmed last April that Tasmania would become the competition’s 19th club.

Watch every game of every round this Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >

Richardson, who was a pimply kid dreaming of playing for his state back in 1990, said the moment the licence was granted as a “great day for Tasmania”.

But with the Tasmania Devils officially launched and the club’s nickname and jumper confirmed was even greater. It was a day, Richardson said, that “was overdue”.

“It is a massive moment in our history, our rich football history, which dates back 150 years,” Richardson said.

“If you had told me when I was growing up in Davenport that I would be back here announcing the colours for our AFL team, I would not have believed you. It is a huge night and I just can’t wait (for the Devils) to get underway.”

Tasmanian fans now have something tangible to identify with. A club jumper featuring the state of Tasmania as the heart. A Devil with an almighty tooth ready to bite hard. And an opportunity to become a member at just ten bucks a pop. Make sure to get in early!

Fox Footy expert Jack Riewoldt said “overwhelmingly through the surveys and … the face-to-face encounters we have had with our public, it is resounding that the Devils are our name”.

That was evident during the launch as attendees chanted the “Devils” name and as the celebrations continued into the night and the founding membership tally soared beyond 50,000.

“Carn the mighty Devils!” One can only imagine the roar when the Devils from Tasmania burst through the banner, kicks their first goal and clinch their first win.

Symbolism dripped from the rafters. Kent Jackson, the president of the Wynyard Football Club, lauded a Devil that represents every Tasmanian when issuing his war cry to fans.

Tasmanians, Jackson declared, “are characters that are handcrafted, can be feisty, and fight for their survival in a uniquely Tasmanian way”.

“You should never underestimate the devil in all of us,” he said.

“Our Tasmanian devil is not your average devil. It’s a mythical, powerful, authentic identity. It’s not what you might expect but it’s everything you hoped for.”

The launch in Davenport, with simulcasts at venues around the Apple Isle, had a distinctly community vibe that would not have been out of place at a country footy club pie night.

That is by design. In a state where there has been a divide in footy between the north and the south, the Tasmania Devils have to unite fans across the state to succeed.

Tasmania Devils chairman Grant O’Brien said he is keen to harness a sense of community togetherness and to make sure the club properly represents a unique state.

“Our membership offering will evolve over the coming years, but for now, we are proud to provide one price and one way for everyone to become a founding member,” he said.

“We encourage all Tasmanians and football fans to sign up as a founding member and become part of the team.”

ONE GIANT STEP FOR TASMANIA … BUT WHAT COMES NEXT?

A week is a long time in football and while Monday will be the night founding members forever associate with the Devils, the events of this Saturday are arguably more significant.

As part of the AFL’s agreement to issue a licence to Tasmania, it was contingent on a new stadium being built to host the club. And that has sparked fierce debate across the state.

That comes to a head on Saturday when the Tasmanian election is held, a vote that AFL House will have an extremely keen interest in given the ramifications for the 19th club.

The incumbent Tasmanian Government headed by Jeremy Rockliff signed the deal with the AFL last year and have backed a proposal that will see a 23,000 seat stadium built at Macquarie Point in Hobart.

While there is vocal opposition from some Tasmanians, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon is insistent the stadium build is integral to the agreement.

“We do need to have a stadium in Hobart at Macquarie Point with at least 23,000 people and with a roof, because that was a pivotal part of the business case,” he said.

“That is what the business case rested on and (it was) a key part of that business case. That is the agreement the AFL has with the Tasmanian government, that’s the agreement the commission has and that’s the agreement the 18 AFL clubs have.”

The Greens are staunch in their opposition, stating the stadium should not be built at Macquarie Point.

Rebecca White, who leads the Labor Party and is positioned as the alternate Premier, has said that her party will negotiate a better deal with the AFL should they win Government.

Labor’s economic spokesman Dean Winter said in February the stadium would not fit on the proposed point and that the land was contaminated while also forecasting a blowout to the estimated price of $715 million.

“This stadium cannot possibly work. The price cap does not make sense. It doesn’t take much scratching to work out this doesn’t cut muster. It is not a proposal that can possibly happen,” he told the ABC.

The stadium is scheduled to be completed at some stage between 2028 and 2029 but there are concerns the political sparring and planning processes might extend that date.

Progress with the stadium will be a factor in the ability of the footy club to join the competition as planned in 2028.

AND WHO WILL HEAD UP THE TASMANIA DEVILS?

Tasmania has a nickname, logo and jumper. And it has a membership hotline, with reports that the number of fans who signed on Monday night exceeded 25,000 within 90 minutes.

But what about a chief executive? A footy boss? Then there is the list manager, the boot studder and so on. And the Devils will most certainly need a senior coach, extensive support staff and 140-odd footballers for its various sides as well.

The stadium is integral to the licence but good personnel is clearly critical to the Tasmania Devils succeeding, with the AFL keen to see them competitive from the opening bounce.

History proves success does not come easily to expansion clubs. In fact, it is daunting.

The Gold Coast Suns are yet to play finals after entering the league in 2011. The Giants have reached a grand final and are clearly a contender in 2024, but their trophy cabinet is bare. Port Adelaide entered the competition in 1997 and has one premiership and Fremantle has played in only one grand final in its three decades of existence.

“To get an AFL team up, because it’s such a big competition and it’s so competitive, you can’t just grant a licence and start 12 months later,” AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said.

“This is a five-year build just to get going. We want the team, when they start, to be really competitive and that’s what the other clubs want as well.

“For Tassie, I think the Tasmanians they’re not going to want to have a start winning one game in the first year, two games. They want to hit the ground running so we’ll tweak the rules (related to recruiting and building a list).”

Former Collingwood captain and coach Nathan Buckley, who played a season with Brisbane early in the club’s inclusion in the AFL before the merger with Fitzroy, said a sustained lead-in was clearly vital to ensuring the Tasmania Devils were viable.

“It is sustained and considered and it is going to take time to bring a new club in, but this is a good way to do it,” Buckley said on Fox Footy’s On The Couch.

Decorated journalist Caroline Wilson reported recently that Brendon Gale, a native Tasmanian who played with Richmond and has steered the Tigers through an incredibly successful era as the club’s chief executive officer, was favoured for the head role.

Dillon said while it was up to O’Brien and the board to choose a senior coach, he would rather someone with experience … and preferably one who has enjoyed success.

Current Geelong coach Chris Scott was a name he mentioned during a recent chat with the podcast Dyl and Friends.

Should a premiership success or grand final experience be a prerequisite for the new coach, there are a handful of current and recent contenders including Buckley who would fit the bill.

But that will require a commitment to lead the club’s developing players through the period when the Tasmania Devils are competing in the VFL prior to its entry into the AFL.

DEVONPORT, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 18: Matthew Richardson poses with The Tasmania Devils inaugural jumper during the Tasmania Football Club Launch at Paranaple Convention Centre on March 18, 2024 in Devonport, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

It has been reported that rather than providing long-term salary cap relief to recruit mature aged talent to Tasmania and then to retain them, the club will instead opt for sign-on bonuses.

Part of the attraction is that initial bonuses would not come at a long-term cost to the competition, which proved an issue when the northern clubs were introduced.

The Tasmania Devils are certain to receive a host of priority high draft picks among other list-building measures.

But rather than using them exclusively on the best young talent, a factor in the early lack of competitiveness from the Suns and Giants but also something that unbalanced the draft, the Devils will be required to trade a decent portion in order to secure mature players.

The club may also be afforded priority access to 17-year-old talent as well.

On Monday night’s On the Couch, the panel ran through the current young Tasmanian talent and big names set to be free agents after the 2027 season - it’s safe to say the latter list is mightily strong, with Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph suggesting sign-on bonuses could be permitted.

“You won’t be able to afford 12 million-dollar players, but you might give those guys a million bucks, they go and buy their house - outside of the cap - and then they get reasonable money,” Ralph said.

TASSIE TALENT

Chayce Jones, Lachie Cowan, Jye Menzie, James Leake, Colby McKercher, Ryley Sanders, Tom McCallum, Sam Banks, Rhyan Mansell, Seth Campbell, Arie Schoenmakers

2027 FREE AGENTS

Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson, Lachie Ash, Hayden Young, Caleb Serong, Liam Henry, Tom Green, Kysaiah Pickett, Will Day, Miles Bergman, Cody Weightman, Sam De Koning, Trent Rivers, Keidean Coleman

HIGH PERFORMANCE FACILITIES BUILD BELIEF

The AFL is determined to learn from the issues that hindered the ability of the northern expansion clubs on the Gold Coast and in western Sydney to flourish immediately.

An aspect of this relates to building the infrastructure to ensure future Devils are training and developing in elite facilities as soon as possible.

Former Magpie and Giant Heath Shaw told this journalist on the eve of the 2017 finals series that the lack of a consistent base early in western Sydney delayed the progress of the young talent at GWS until the current training base and home in Sydney’s Olympic Park was secured and completed.

“It is amazing how exciting the boys were to get their first locker, their name on the locker, their first number on the locker, all of that. From there, it started to build to be more of a club environment,” he said.

“There was not much of a meeting room, no locker. You would put your bags up against the wall and then train back here and go back and shower.

“Before that, they were training in baseball fields and getting changed in portables and hopping around gyms all around Western Sydney to do their weights, so to have this is amazing. You don’t take that for granted and the ­success we have had has come off the back of that.”

VARIOUS CITIES, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 18: Future players unveil the new Tasmania Devils jersey during a media opportunity announcing the details for the Tasmanian AFL team, at Hobart Theatre Royal on March 18, 2024 in Various Cities, Australia. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

To alleviate this, plans for a $70 million high-performance centre in Rosny, which would host the AFL and AFLW teams, the VFL and VFLW teams and the underage Devils were confirmed last December.

The elite training environment is set to feature an MCG-sized oval, an indoor field along with administrative and training facilities.

“They’ll get some really good players through the draft, they’ll get some really good local guys back. But you can’t just build a club based on that,” Dillon said.

“They’re going to want to attract an experienced CEO, an experienced coach and they’re going to want to attract some experienced players down there.

“There’s amazing facilities around the competition, so they’re going to have to be at least equal to those.”

REINVIGORATING A HEARTLAND IGNORED FOR TOO LONG

A trickle-down effect that reinvigorates footy in a traditional heartland is also a factor in the introduction of the Tasmania Devils into the AFL.

The importance of this was highlighted by Richardson in an interview a year ago when the licence was initially awarded despite some opposition from a handful of AFL clubs.

“We have finally got there. And I think it is really important for Tasmania,” Richardson said.

“There is no doubt footy has probably died a death by a thousand cuts, with not as many players coming through, or clubs folding, or not able to get players, for whatever reason.

“But I think with our own AFL team down there, if kids have some talent and want to pursue it, they can touch and feel it and I have no doubt it is going to help junior development there.”

Tasmania Football Club Launch. Shaun Kongwa and Mia Barwick sporting the new Tasmania Devils jumpers. Picture: Linda Higginson / Tasmania Football ClubSource: Supplied

Jack Riewoldt, who has been working at length with the incoming club and proudly promoted the club’s jumper on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Monday night, is among the Tasmanians celebrating.

“We start here and we move forward and hopefully when we are up and running, we will look like who we are, the Devils,” he said.

“This is the dawn of the new era of Tasmanian football and while we are now named and we now have a logo, this will be felt at grassroots level as well.

“Plenty of kids have attended the events right across the state today, plenty of Tasmanian kids, and plenty of kids now don’t have to leave Tasmania to play AFL for their team.

“They can represent their people on their patch right here in Launceston and in Hobart. It gives us great hope.”