The Tasmania Devils insist there is a “method to the madness” ahead of the release of club memberships later this month.
The Devils have advertised a range of membership options that will allow fans the chance to secure a seat for 2028 when the team is scheduled to make its AFL debut.
But the release of details has been met by some confusion, anxiousness and trepidation from some supporters who are desperate to secure seats for the team’s historic entry into the big league.
The Devils’ Kath McCann said the club had fielded a large number of enquiries, with most focused on the process fans must follow to lock in a seat at Bellerive or York Park for the 2028 AFL season.
The Tasmania Devils will make their AFL debut in 2028. (ABC News: Owain Stia James)
The Devils’ first batch of membership products will go on sale this month, before a second batch — that will include reserved seating for 2028 — is released in May.
“We have 216,000 founding members but the reality is the majority of those paid $10 two years ago,” Ms McCann explained to ABC Grandstand.
Kath McCann says memberships will be released in two phases. (ABC News: Mackenzie Heard)
“This first phase gives an opportunity to ‘baseline’ and that will help us to go to market for our May products which will be limited in supply.
“So, there is method to the madness.”
What are the options?
A typical scenario might unfold like this:
A family of four wants to secure season seats at Bellerive, York Park or both for Devils AFL games in 2028.
To do this, they will need to purchase four “Believer” memberships when they go on sale later this month. There is an $80 and $140 option. The $140 option grants access to VFL and VFLW fixtures this year, the $80 option does not.
Holding a Believer membership unlocks the ability to purchase either an “R28” or “1866” membership, which includes a seat at 2028 AFL games. The R28 is priced at $150, while the 1866 — which is a premium offering — is $1,500.
These go on sale in May.
However, with a capacity-crunch looming at both Bellerive Oval and York Park, there’s a caveat.
York Park, and Bellerive Oval, will host the Devils’ home games initially. (ABC News: Morgan Timms)
The R28 and 1866 reserved seat memberships are capped at approximately 11,500 across both venues, meaning some hopeful fans will miss out on a seat.
Ms McCann said the cap was put in place deliberately.
“The reason is, there are people who want certainty and they’re prepared to pay for it. But there are others who want to wait.
“So, the Believer product, if you purchase that, but don’t get an R28 or 1866, you’re next in queue for whatever comes next.”
That’s expected to be a third tranche of seats at Bellerive and York Park that will be released at a later date, while cheaper non-seated memberships will also be made available.
Devils AFL draft concessions for 2028
“If you miss out in May, which some people will, or choose not to participate in that process because you don’t want to pay for that certainty in 2026 or 2027, there’s going to be more to come as we get closer to 2028,” Ms McCann said.
A second hurdle for fans will be the requirement that all memberships must be renewed in 2027, meaning if that family of four buys four Believer memberships, and then manages to secure four R28s, it will pay at least $1,840 to secure seats for 2028, before then paying for four 2028 memberships.
Ms McCann said the pricing was based on “deep” member surveys that tested product inclusions and exclusions.
The proposed Macquarie Point stadium will increase the number of seats available. (Supplied: MPDC)
“We did a lot of price modelling, and trying to understand fair price and what the market was telling us”
“I’m really confident and can honestly put my hand on my heart and tell you that the pricing we’ve selected is based purely on what we’ve heard back from the customer base.”
How does it compare?
In comparison, a reserved seat membership at North Melbourne is $685 a year for an adult, while an 11 game general admission membership is $269.
At GWS, a “Giants Gold” reserved seat membership costs $490.
The Devils are set to encounter the same problem other AFL clubs already face, when it comes to stadium capacity and membership demand.
Reserved seat memberships at the 60,000-seat Perth Stadium for the West Coast Eagles are sold out, forcing fans who wish to secure a seat onto a waitlist.
On Reddit, West Cost Eagles fans reported waiting more than 10 years to progress from a non-reserve seated membership to a seated one.
Standard reserved seat memberships are also at capacity at Adelaide, Brisbane and Collingwood, while waitlists exist for some membership categories at Hawthorn and Carlton.
Devils’ stadium debut could be delayed
The same issue already exists in Tasmania. The state’s National Basketball League team, the JackJumpers, have sold out more than 60 consecutive games stretching back to the team’s inaugural season.
That has resulted in a reserved seat membership waitlist of about 4,000 people as of early last year.
“We’ve learnt a lot from the JackJumpers, and they’ve been terrifically generous in sharing with us [the importance of] keeping enough flexibility that as we get closer to bounce, we can bring in different product,” Ms McCann said.
Seated membership capacity will increase when the 23,000 seat Macquarie Point stadium opens, but that is not expected to happen until at least 2030.