The next steps ahead for Tasmania’s AFL team

With its identity now revealed, there are a number of key dates ahead for the Tasmanian AFL and AFLW teams. See what will happen and when.

New Tasmania Devils Girls Head Coach Jess Wuetschner at Blundstone Arena. Picture: Supplied.

Tasmania’s women’s team could join the AFLW in 2027, a year ahead of the men’s debut in the AFL, under a plan to accelerate the Devils’ female football program.

The launch of the Tasmania Football Club on Monday night ticked a huge box in the development of the club, with the unveiling of the name, logo, colours, branding and memberships.

The most critical milestone for Devils is October 31, 2027 — aka the Sunset Date — when the state government must have satisfied all of the licence conditions, or rely on the good faith of the AFL to activate a 12-month extension, as written into the Licence Agreement.

The next key milestone is confirmation that a stadium will rise from Macquarie Point, and that project must be at least 60 per cent complete by the Sunset Date.

The appointment of a TFC CEO is scheduled for later this year and widely tipped to be Tasmanian Brendon Gale after he finishes his CEO role at Richmond.

The Devils VFL team was mooted for 2025 but will be pushed back to 2026, with its coach to be announced mid-2025 and squad to come after that.

The Tasmanian VFLW team will follow a similar timeline for a start also in 2026, one year before the Devils debut in the AFLW.

The High Performance Centre to be built at Rosny needs its planning approvals confirmed by the end of this year, and “best endeavours” to be complete by the end of 2025.

Tasmanian AFLW star Jess Wuetschner, a Brisbane Lions premiership player and 2018 AFLW All-Australian has returned home to coach Tassie Devils Girls in the Coates Talent League this season.

The 38-game Lion and 17-game Essendon star said the lure of AFLW gave Tassie talent a clear pathway to the top.

“It’s going to be huge for all of the Tassie girls to get an opportunity to play at the highest level without having to go to Melbourne to get their shot,” Wuetschner said.

“It will be great for them to have a pathway within their own state.”

Wuetschner, 31, made her AFLW debut in the opening round of the 2017 season in Brisbane’s clash with Melbourne at Casey Fields.

“It was life-changing — the biggest and best thing ever to happen to me,” she said.

“It has taken me a long way and opened the door to a lot of opportunities, so it was a huge part of my life and always will be.’

That’s why Wuetschner is proud to be part of the development of Tasmania’s future AFLW players.

Her advice is simple.

“Always reach for the stars,” she said.

“You’ve got a much better opportunity than some of us had at a younger age, so keep working hard and do the best you can.”