Tasmania CEO Brendon Gale has started the search for the Devils first football manager and player recruiter

Brendon Gale has only been in the Tassie Devils top job for several weeks but he has started his search for two of the most important off-field roles. Here’s what the club is looking for.

Tasmania Devils boss Brendon Gale. Picture: Tasmania Football Club

The Tasmania Devils have taken a huge step into the future by starting the search for a manager of its inaugural AFL football department and someone to find the players to form its first AFL team in 2028.

Before the roles officially went on the market on Tuesday, the Devils received numerous approaches by people wanting those roles.

The club expects to have both key Devils in place by the end of May ready to start building Tasmania’s VFL and VFLW teams for 2026, the AFLW team for 2027 and men’s AFL team a year later.

Devils boss Brendon Gale said both roles would be instrumental to the build of the club’s football department and present once-in-a-lifetime professional opportunities to build a new football operation from scratch.

The head of football is the same role Tasmanian Chris Fagan, now coach of reigning AFL premier Brisbane, played at Hawthorn during its four premiership-winning era, and Tasmanian Scott Clayton is renown as one of the best recruiters in the AFL.

“The roles of general manager football and list manager are of great importance to the build of our club,” Gale said.

“There is no doubt that both roles are a career-defining opportunity for the successful candidates, but they are also a critical ingredient of the success of our Club as we strive to compete in the national league.”

Brendon Gale with Grant O'Brien, chair of Tasmania Football Club. Picture: Tasmania Football Club

Gale was instrumental in appointing Punt Road legend Neil Balme as general manager of football at Richmond in 2016, which was followed by a Tiger domination as the boys in yellow and black won three premierships in four seasons (2017-19-20).

“We have had a lot of unsolicited interest in these roles, we are now looking forward to kicking off a competitive process to get the best possible candidates for Tasmania Football Club,” Gale said.

“We know how important these roles are in terms of experience in the game, but we are also focused on ensuring that we get candidates that are the best possible fit for Tasmania.”

Gale said the general manager of football operations would design and execute the strategy to establish all football programs and develop a high-performance culture that will define Tasmania’s success in the AFL, including launching both men’s and women’s teams, to laying the foundations for our VFL and VFLW pathways.

The list manager will oversee the TFC’s list management strategy, talent acquisition, and retention processes, working closely with the recruiting team, coaching staff, and football department.

The role will be instrumental in developing a long-term list strategy that delivers sustained success while embracing the unique opportunity of building a new club from the ground up.

Gale said the development of the club’s football department was a key focus for 2025 as the club continues to build towards its entry into the AFL and AFLW, and VFL and VFLW “over the coming years”.

Originally published as Tasmania CEO Brendon Gale has started the search for the Devils first football manager and player recruiter