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<\/p>\nThe development of the Tasmanian Devils Football Club is in full swing as they approach their welcome to the AFL in 2028.<\/p>\n
SportFM\u00a0spoke to CEO Brendon Gale this morning to get some insight on how the development process is coming along.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s been a challenging year, but ultimately a rewarding year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Tasmanian Football Club license was conditional upon delivery of a stadium, and that stadium required a parliamentary approval process\u2026 so almost by extension it became quite politicised and that debate became quite politicised which was challenging to manage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPleasingly that got through and we\u2019ve had great affection and support and now we can get on with what we describe as the real business of building a footy club.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gale mentioned the importance of stadium economics and the survival of a football club in the current AFL environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s stadium economics and finances that underpin the financial performance of football clubs and ultimately the on-field performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can look at West Coast and Fremantle, particularly Fremantle and how Optus Stadium has transformed the trajectory of that footy club.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is where the sports business is moving. It\u2019s about stadiums, the economics of stadiums and for us to create a really strong financial platform, a stadium was deemed to be a conditional requirement by the AFL.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Devils are returning to VFL footy in 2026 to prepare them as a club to enter the AFL.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The CEO said two years was essential to allow the club to grow before 2028, also having the adverse effect of blowing up participation in Auskick 40% and 38% over the past two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just felt that we needed to enter the VFL as soon as possible to give that runway similar to what the Giants and Suns had,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have three regional competitions and so for those young players who haven\u2019t been drafted, who want to continue to aspire to stay in the pathway, they tend to leave the state. They go to South Australia, they go to the VFL and WA.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the VFL team firstly provides is a pathway and a place for those types of players to continue to play and grow and develop and aspire, it fills that void. But secondly, I think we need two years to transition to an elite program, which is the AFL. We need to put our club under pressure, we need to build our football program and raise standards.\u201d<\/p>\n
As far as their list goes, no key marquee players have been identified and local talent already in the AFL has not been named.<\/p>\n
Gale said he wants to keep it that way in order to build a club centred around passion and pride for Tasmania.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the process of finalising our list strategy, I guess the strategy which is going to inform the way we develop our list and the way we want to play. So once we finalise that, it will inform the sort of players who would love to come down and be a part of our club.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think young athletes are looking for something more now. They\u2019re interested in more holistic development and growth and I think Tasmania offers some really compelling lifestyle benefits. With Hobart, it\u2019s got all the cosmopolitan benefits of a big capital city, but you don\u2019t get peak hour traffic and you\u2019ve got housing affordability and you\u2019ve got access to services and schools and all these sorts of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want good players. It doesn\u2019t matter where they come from. Good players who want to come to Tasmania for the right reasons on the right terms. They\u2019re the sorts of players we want.\u201d<\/p>\n
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