While fledgling AFL club the Tasmania Devils still face an existential crisis over whether or not a new AFL stadium will be built in Hobart, how a new AFL team would be built has become much clearer with the AFL signing off on a massive list of concessions for the club’s entry to the national league.
Key concessions include:
Number one draft pick in 2027Signing up to 18 out-of-contract AFL players, with a maximum of one player per club.Signing bonus pool of $5,000,000 in addition to the salary cap to help lure players from interstate.
The Tasmania Devils FC are slated to play seven games a year at the proposed Macquarie Point stadium in Hobart. (Supplied: MPDC)
The head of list management and strategy for the Tasmania Devils Football Club (TDFC), Todd Patterson, said he was delighted with the outcome.
“We’ve gotta sit down now, take our time, digest all this and strategise it,” he said.
“We’re really happy, and the AFL, they were great through the whole process. It was a real collaboration, and even the contributions from the other clubs.
“I think there’s a lot of goodwill towards us in this process. I’d say now that this package has landed, the goodwill will be gone, and it’s now time to compete.”
A shopfront for the Tasmania Devils FC is expected to open soon on Collins Street, Hobart. (ABC News: Kate Nickels)
First pick in the 2027 national draft
The Devils will get the number one selection in the 2027 National Draft along with picks 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13, but selections 5, 7, 11 and 13 must be traded to other clubs either for players or other draft picks.
Stadium debate rages in Tasmanian parliament
The club will also get the first selection in each subsequent round of the 2027 draft as well as further draft concessions in the 2028 and 2029 national drafts.
Mr Patterson said it was difficult to compare the Devils’ hand to the draft assistance provided to the GWS Giants and Gold Coast Suns, but those deals were heavily referenced in the negotiations.
Tasmania’s head of recruiting, Derek Hine, said the 2027 draft was already looking strong and should enhance the value of the picks to be traded at the negotiating table.
“The 15s and 16s are a really strong group, so that allows the value of the picks to rise,” he said.
“It’s like buying a house: you can have a lot of bidders, so you can potentially have two, three picks come in for one.”
The Tasmania Devils AFL team will have a $5 million signing bonus pool in addition to the salary cap to help lure experienced players from interstate. (Supplied: Tasmania Football Club/Solstice Digital)
Priority access to academy players
The Devils will have an expanded list of up to 48 players for the first four years of AFL competition, and a Tasmanian Academy will be developed in line with northern AFL academies, giving the Devils priority access to academy players.
“Probably the thing we were most pleased about with the whole package was our access to Tasmanian talent,” Mr Patterson said
“This gives us a real platform to invest in the community and in the boys and girls now to really sink our teeth into their development.”
Todd Patterson (left) and Derek Hine hold inaugural positions at the club. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)
Mr Hine said there was already plenty of interest from players and their managers about moving to Tasmania.
“We don’t have to speak to them because they’ve been speaking to us … it’s been quite overwhelming.”
Mr Hine said he has been surprised by the calibre of some of the players who had reached out to the club.
“We’re not saying for one minute this is not going to be hard. There’s going to be some bumps along the way, but I think with the experience from the chairman all the way down, we’ve got a group of staff, both on-field and off-field, that are really driven to make this a success,” he said.
“The way the community has really jumped on board is just fuelling that enthusiasm. It’s really exciting.”
Option for sons to join TDFC
In news that might send a shudder down the spine of St Kilda fans, anyone who was born in Tasmania and has played at least 100 AFL games will have their children eligible to become a father-son selection for Tasmania.
The race for the AFL’s 20th team is heating up
It means the sons of Nick Riewoldt and Jack Riewoldt would be eligible for father-son selection for the Devils.
Former St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt has three sons, while his cousin, Richmond’s triple premiership player Jack Riewoldt, has one.
Mr Patterson’s immediate focus could be elsewhere.
“I know my ex-Melbourne counterparts are hoping I stay away from [former Melbourne Football Club’s] Russell Robertson’s young fella, but we’ll see. We might have to start competing a bit harder with them now,” he said.
A condition of the Devils being granted the 19th AFL licence is a roofed stadium at Hobart’s Macquarie Point, with approval still to pass both houses of Tasmania’s parliament.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff says the government will plough ahead with the stadium project. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)
Complete draft concessions for Tasmania Devils FC
Flexible list size
A flexible list size over their first five AFL seasons, allowing up to 48 players on the list maximum for years 2, 3 and 4 before transitioning back to industry levels by year 6.
Access to existing AFL talent
The ability to sign up to 18 out-of-contract AFL players across a two-year window [covering the years immediately before the TDFC entry year and the TDFC entry year], with a maximum of one player per club in total.
Signing bonus
Access to a signing bonus pool of $5,000,000 outside of the AFL salary cap, to be utilised over TDFC’s first two years [maximum spend of $3,000,000 in either year].
Expansion compensation model
A bespoke compensation model designed to compensate the existing 18 clubs for any loss of talent, with that compensation provided in the form of one or more ‘floating’ draft selections, where the recipient club may determine what year the selections fall in.
Tasmanian academy
The provision of a Tasmanian academy consistent with the northern academy model, with the ability to pre-list eligible academy players for the first four years, before that access is reviewed prior to a transition to bidding system access.
Tasmanian talent access
Access to pre-list Tasmanian pathway players from two years before the TDFC entry year in the AFL competition, with these players to participate in the state league in the year before the TDFC entry year. Ability to access players as father-son eligible where their father was born in Tasmania and played at least 100 AFL matches.
Younger, 17-year-old talent
The ability to pre-list players in their 17th year, spread across two years.
17yo mini-draft
The provision of two draft selections for two mini-drafts of 17-year-old players, with the requirement for those picks to be traded. Players selected in the mini draft will not be eligible for AFL selection in the year immediately following the relevant mini draft.
Draft capital
The provision of the following draft selections over three national drafts:
In TDFC’s first national draft ahead of their entry year, selections 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and the first selection of each subsequent round (noting that selections 5, 7, 11 and 13 must be traded but may be rolled forward for up to two national drafts);In TDFC’s second national draft, selections 5 and 9 and the first selection in each subsequent round, in addition to their natural draft hand (noting that selection 5 must be traded but may be rolled forward to the next national draft); andIn TDFC’s third national draft, selections 5 and 9 in addition to their natural draft hand (noting that selection 5 must be traded).
Previously nominated players
Access to directly pre-list players who have previously nominated for the national draft but have not been selected or are not currently listed for retention or trade.
Second-tier assistance
Additional capacity to support their second-tier program.