Tasmania Devils gain celebrity backing as Katy Perry’s pick ahead of AFL Grand Final

The global superstar might not fully understand what ‘barracking’ means, but she’s already picked her team. Watch Katy Perry create the Devils’ first chant.

Global superstar Katy Perry looked confused when asked “who are you barracking for”, but once she understood the assignment she quickly made her allegiance known: She’s a Devil.

In Melbourne to perform the AFL Grand Final this weekend, the pop singer has joined the Tasmanian AFL team bandwagon in a video quickly surging to popularity across social media platforms.

“I’m barracking for the new Tasmanian team coming in this year,” Perry said to AFL media.

“I’m calling it now.”

Katy Perry attends the media call for the AFL 2024 Telstra Pre-Game Entertainment at Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 26, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Sam Tabone/Getty Images)

The Devils, who gained the 19th AFL licence last May, aren’t expected to be entering the men’s competition until 2028.

Perry even went on a spur of the moment chant, twisting the traditional “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” into “Tassie, Tassie, Tassie”.

“The devils they are,” she said.

It seems Perry has always had a soft spot for Tassie after she made a quick visit to the state in 2014, when the star visited Mona and a Salamanca restaurant.

Apparently Perry decided to visit the Apple Isle after one of her backup dancers — Lockhart Brownlie, who is from Tasmania — had told her about the state’s beauty and interesting sites such as the quirky museum, which it is believed she visited on a Tuesday — when it is closed to the public.

AFL Chief executive Andrew Dillon during press conference to present Katy Perry for 2024 Telstra Pre-Game Entertainment at the MCG. NewsWire/Nadir Kinani

Perry’s backing was a welcome one to the Tasmania Devils.

“We’re absolutely thrilled Katy Perry has come onboard along with 202,000 members around the world,” Tasmania Devils executive director Kath McCann said.

“It’s a wonderful vote of confidence.”

While high-profile backing helped to spread the Devils brand, Ms McCann said one thing was important to remember.

“We’ve said from the start that we want to be the largest community organisation in the world,” she said.

“Whether it’s Katy Perry or an average person, everyone has a place in the club.”

She confirmed the club’s largest international supporter base was in the USA with around 975 members there already.

“There’s no doubt an increase in social media following since Katy Perry showed support on social media will boost that,” Ms McCann said.

“We’d love to have members all over the world.”

For this weekend’s grand final between Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions, there will be plenty to cheer about for Tasmanian supporters.

“We’re so pleased to have a coach in Chris Fagan, umpire Nick Foot and the Swan’s Robbie Fox all involved in the grand final, it’s great Tasmanian representations,” she said.