In May 2023, Tasmania secured an AFL licence following a unanimous vote of AFL club presidents.[6] The club will likely first compete in the Victorian Football League, starting in either 2025 or 2026.[7]
Australian rules football in Tasmania has long been the most popular sport. A 2018 study of Internet traffic showed 79% of Tasmanians (424,459) were interested in the sport, the highest rate in the country[8] which was, according to Roy Morgon Research, a figure higher than the number of supporters of around half of existing AFL clubs.[9]
The idea of a Tasmanian AFL team had been suggested, and in some cases formally proposed, many times since the 1980s.[10] The successful bid was the result of an organisation known as the Tasmanian AFL Licence Taskforce assembled in 2019, chaired by Brett Godfrey, with backing from the Tasmanian Government.[11] Grant O'Brien, former CEO of Woolworths and chair of Tourism Tasmania, was appointed the new club's first chairman in July 2023 by the Tasmanian AFL Licence Taskforce.[12] In September, a board chaired by O'Brien was announced including Kath McCann, James Henderson (AFL talent manager), Alastair Lynch, Alicia Leis, Roger Curtis, Laura McBain, Graeme Gardner and Kathy Schaefer.[13] Former Richmond player Jack Riewoldt was appointed club culture manager.[13]
On 18 March 2024, the club was officially launched with the name Tasmania Devils, using myrtle green, rose red and primrose yellow as their club colours; the colours and guernsey were based on those of the historical Tasmanian interstate representative team, featuring a red "T" on a yellow map of Tasmania.[14] Devils was the club's chosen nickname, based on the local Tasmanian devil marsupial; the nickname had previously been used by the state's VFL and Talent League clubs. The nickname was confirmed only after negotiations with Warner Bros., whose cartoon character Tasmanian Devil meant that it held a trademark on the name.[15][16]
Corporate
During the 2024 launch, the club commenced selling foundation membership packs for between $10 and $15AUD with an initial target of 40,000 by October (one of the original conditions of entry set by the AFL). The club exceeded this target within 2 hours and had sold over 121,000 memberships 2 days after launch[17] giving it the highest on-paper membership of any club in the AFL and taking just 24 hours to break the league's all-time membership record.[18]
