Long to-do list now awaits for Tasmania Devils’ massive new stadium build
The Tasmania Devils have achieved so much in winning a green light for a new stadium but now their attention must quickly shift to a growing list of massive new priorities.
Securing the required votes for the construction of the Macquarie Point Stadium is a major victory in the history of the Tasmania Devils but it is also just another starting point on the journey to fielding the first team.
The news that the majority of members in the Tasmanian upper house will support the stadium would have been met with huge whoops of joy and massive sighs of relief from all involved at the Devils.
Now, though, the realisation will sink in that an enormous weight of responsibility now rests on their shoulders.
So much has been achieved but so much more needs to be done.
JAMES BRESNEHAN breaks down what are the next major milestones for the Devils to focus on ahead of their first game in March 2028.
NO STADIUM, NO TEAM – TICK
Tasmania was granted its provisional AFL licence on May 3, 2023, but the political firestorm that ensued burned two and a half years of preparation time in the lead-up to the Devils’ debut in March 2028.
Now that the stadium condition has been satisfied, the first thing the Tasmania Football Club must do is formally tick off on the 23,000-seat roofed stadium clause, and have the AFL formally confirm Tasmania as its 19th team.
MACQUARIE POINT STADIUM
The pollies have all but given Mac Point Stadium the green light – finally in the eyes of the Devils’ 210,000 members and legion of broader support – now the highest priority is to get the stadium started.
First thing, lodge the Development Application and hopefully have it approved by Christmas, which could happen given it is a Project of State Significance.
Secondly, settle on an investment group to finance the build.
Thirdly, put it to tender, settle on construction partner, sign the build contracts, including build time-frames, and get on with the $1.13b job.
Construction will start early in the New Year with contractors installing above ground and below ground services and the site being prepared for its underground carpark.
This time next year, the site will hopefully be a hive of activity with pylons starting to emerge, carpark halfway to completion and the outline of a stadium clear to see.
HIGH PERFORMANCE CENTRE
This one is also time-critical, and is making the TFC’s top brass nervous.
The completion date for their state-of-the-art training and administration facility at the Twin Ovals, Kingston, plays a key role as the club moves forward.
It will be the centerpiece of the TFC, the home Tasmania Devils men’s and women’s teams, and the Devils boys and girls under-18 teams.
The facility will feature a full gymnasium, an indoor training field with analysis platforms, and comprehensive medical and recovery facilities, including infra-red saunas and recovery pools.
It will also house administrative areas for up to 80 staff, a lecture theatre, team and analyst spaces, and a commercial kitchen.
It is a piece of the puzzle meant impress incoming recruits and retain them as happy Devils wanting to stay living and working in Tasmania.
The development application has now been ticked off by Kingborough council and it’s hoped initial works to begin in March, with full construction to start in May for doors open in October 2027.
AFLW DRAFT AND LIST CONCESSIONS
Just as it did for its men’s team, the AFL Commission will hear submissions from the Tasmania Devils regarding their women’s team, which also plays its first game in 2028. The Devils need to know it has strong draft selections and how many players it can have on their inaugural playing list.
The club will lodge its draft rules and concessions submission with the AFL in the next few weeks.
FULL MEMBERSHIP LAUNCH
Licence confirmation means Devils fans can finally put their money where their mouths are.
They can move on from the token $10 memberships for full-blown membership of an AFL club.
The TFC is working on its go-to-market plan for memberships right now.
It will include entry level memberships all the way to top-shelf memberships, and importantly memberships that put fans in the queue for access to tickets for games in 2028.
FOUNDATION SPONSORS
With the stadium approved and green light for the team, sponsors are expected to come out of the woodwork to be part of the AFL’s newest team.
The club has acknowledged the stadium stoush was a roadblock in terms of signing sponsors.
Maybe a potential as a naming rights or major sponsor could be The Walt Disney Company, which owns the rights to Taz Devil, the cartoon character loosely based on Tasmania’s indigenous marsupial.
Given the Tasmanian AFL team is called the Devils, the synergy would be perfect.
VFL MEN AND WOMEN TEAMS
Big squads have been named for the Devils VFL and VFL teams and both are in pre-season training. The club has announced key recruits for both teams.
The VFL program is in its infancy, so the TFC will continue to put processes in place to make it an effective “runway” to the AFL in two years.
The men’s VFL team debuts in March, with its first game hopefully to be played at North Hobart Oval on March 21, and the women kick off their season on the weekend of May 16 -17 with the TFC also targeting a home game for their VFLW debut.
GUERNSEY REVEAL
Behind the scenes, the club already has a selection of jumper designs for its VFL and VFLW teams.
Before they go public, it will seek what it calls “consumer feedback”, which entails public polling on the designs.
Won’t be launched until early next year.
SELECT A TEAM SONG
This is something that all present and future fans will identify strongly with – so get it right.
Needed for next year when the Devils debut in the VFL on March 21, the club hopes to hear the tune on the lips of its players sooner rather than later.
Imagine it being belted out inside Macquarie Point Stadium.
The club has received “lots of good submissions” among a flood of pitches, but no decision has been made.
It plans to do a product test of the finalists all around the state – and take the artists with them – before finally committing to a signature victory tune.
SENIOR AFL COACH
Now that the Mac Point Stadium build is no longer holding the Devils to ransom, the one thing on the lips of all Tassie footy fans is who is going to be inaugural coach?
Devils CEO Brendon Gale says this one is not time-precious, but you can bet your footy boots securing a coach has been one of his top priorities – it’s critical to get it right.
A lot of names have been bandied about – John Longmire, Ken Hinkley, Chris Scott, Chris Fagan, Scott Pendlebury, Adam Simpson and Craig McRae.
It seems the buck will stop with “Bucks” – former Collingwood great and Magpies coach Nathan Buckley. He appears to be the man identified by the Devils to take Tasmania into the AFL.
Buckley has openly stated his desire to return to senior coaching and his preference for the Tasmania role: “I’d love to coach again. If Tassie feel that I’m a fit, then I’ll be there”.
Don’t be fooled that Buckley has signed as full-time assistant-coach at Geelong in 2026.
Those in the know say that’s his way of blowing out the coaching cobwebs before he joins Tassie in 2027.
DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL
Not as “sexy” as the appointment of a coach but a crucial role nonetheless. The football director will oversee all aspects of the club’s football operations, including player development, coaching appointments, list management, and financial and strategic planning.
The right person will act as a liaison between the board, coaches, and players, ensuring the football program aligns with the club’s overall goals and adheres to league rules and regulations.
Someone whose name has been linked to this Devils role, recently retired 297-game Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley.
The role will be filled before a senior coach.
LAUNCH DEVILS ACADEMY
The Tasmania Devils AFL Academy is a comprehensive talent pathway program for young male and female football players in Tasmania, designed to develop them for potential entry into the AFL and AFLW.
It includes a junior academy for 13–15-year-olds focused on skill development and a senior talent academy for 2025, aimed at preparing players for the future VFL and VFLW teams.
The program will operate across the state’s three regions and is a key part of building a strong, sustainable future for Tasmanian football.
A major step has already been completed with former Essendon coach Matthew Knights appointed as the inaugural coach.
Originally published as Long to-do list now awaits for Tasmania Devils’ massive new stadium build
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