STATEMENT ATTRIBUTED TO AFL CEO ANDREW DILLON
Today is a historic day in the short history of the Tasmania Devils Football Club.
Since the announcement of the club on May 3, 2023, the Devils have made great progress, ticking off milestones along the journey, and pleasingly today, through parliament, the Tasmanian people have spoken.
Along the journey so far, more than 210,000 members have signed up and pledged their support, the club launched its colours and name, and were granted entry into the VFL and VFLW competitions, and now a new roofed stadium at Macquarie Point has been endorsed and approved by the Tasmanian government and work can progress on getting it built and delivered for all Tasmanians.
This is an incredibly important outcome for everyone who has worked tirelessly to see a Tasmanian footy club compete on the national stage, and for the hundreds of thousands of Tasmanians who have stood behind the Devils with such passion and pride.
Creating a new AFL/AFLW club from scratch is no small task, there is much still to be done by the Club to be ready for 2028. However, given the progress to date we could not be more confident that the Devils will make an immediate impact on the AFL/AFLW in 2028.
On behalf of the AFL and the 18 clubs we will continue to do all we can to support the establishment of the Devils and our newest club in the proud footy state of Tasmania.
