Its taken long enough, but finally its here: Tasmania gets its license – what we know so far

Heres what we do know based on AFL and Government reporting

Governance

With the establishment of the 19th licence the AFL and Tasmanian Government will now work to establish a Club Nominations committee and will select a Club Chair and Board of Directors.

McLachlan said there would be five board members appointed in the years prior to the team’s first game then seven come its first season, adding the president and chief executive had to be from Tasmania.

The AFL will have majority control of the seven-member board of the new club. The Tasmanian government will appoint board members.

Federal Funding

The federal government has announced it would chip in $240 million towards the contentious $715 million stadium project at Macquarie Point in Hobart.

State Funding

The state government will contribute $12 million per year over 12 years towards a team, plus $60 million for a high-performance centre. It will spend $375 million on the new 23,000-seat roofed stadium.

AFL Funding

• Minimum of $15 million in the stadium in an arts and entertainment precinct.
• $10m for the new club’s training and administration facility.
• $93m in game development.
• $33m to develop young male and female talent in Tasmania, including for ‘talent academies’.
• $209m in distributions to the new club over the first 10 years to cover base funding, variable funding, AFLW funding and special list establishment funding.

Team Identity

Later in the year, a community campaign will be launched to select the brand of the new Club including Name, Logo, Guernsey and song.

There’s a possible hurdle around the favoured name — the Tasmanian Devils — given American entertainment studio giant Warner Bros own the commercial trademark of the title.

On the Tasmanian Devils IP stuff, there's a fair bit that's clear from the surface, and a bit more than needs investigation.

Firstly, the Tasmanian Football Club Limited holds a trademark on the mark in a pretty restricted class below. pic.twitter.com/TDv9Z2Hvsa

— Cody Atkinson (@CapitalCityCody) May 2, 2023

Entry

The AFL men’s team is expected to enter the competition in the 2028 Toyota Premiership Season, with a proposed timeline for a women’s team entry into the NAB AFLW Competition to be worked through shortly.

McLachlan also hinted a Tassie state league team could be ready as soon as 2025.

Matches

Senior AFL and Tasmanian football sources also confirmed that, despite the $715 million stadium to be built at Macquarie Point on Hobart’s waterfront, there would be four games played in Launceston, at the University of Tasmania stadium, by the new Tasmanian team for an indefinite period, with the state and federal governments providing a further $130 million for Launceston.

The Stadium

The stadium on the Hobart waterfront will be roofed and hold 23,000 spectators. But the nature of the roof – such as whether it would be retractable – was not confirmed by either the AFL chief or premier Rockliff.

The Stadium will be owned by Stadiums Tasmania.

Hobart Arts Entertainment and Sports Precinct – Business Case

• Strategic Business Case
• Strategic Business Case Summary

State Government Reports

1. Macquarie Point Stadium – Tasmanian Arts, Entertainment and Sports Precinct – Liminal Studio Pty Ltd
2. Hobart Stadium – Site Selection Process Report – MCS Management and Consulting in conjunction with Philp Lighton Architects
3. Pre-Feasibility Study for Regatta Point and Macquarie Point Sites – Aurecon
4. Hobart Stadium Economic Impact of new Arts, Entertainment and Sports Precinct – PwC
5. Macquarie Point Estimating the economic contribution of commercial uses at the new arts, entertainment and sports precinct – PwC 
6. Hobart Stadium Capacity Optimisation Analysis – MI Global Partners
7. Hobart Stadium Cost Benefit Analysis Report – MI Global Partners 

List Management

The new Tasmanian team, set to join the AFL most likely from 2028, will have the right to bid for the sons of any former Tasmanian AFL player, as well as a $1 million pool to fund sign-on bonuses to attract players. It was expected the ex-Tasmanian player would still have to have played a minimum of 100 AFL games as the current rules require for a player to qualify as a potential father-son.

North Melbourne  in the short term

North will forge ahead with plans to play four AFL games at Blundstone Arena for at least the next three years, and their plan is for the AFLW team to play one match each in Launceston and Hobart in step with that timeframe.

The Hawks have existing contracts and made no comment regarding these yesterday.

References

• ‘This team needs to be competitive from day one’: Tasmania’s AFL entry confirmed
• Priority access to sons of Tassie guns on the table as club presidents give Apple Isle team the green light
• Full statement: Tasmania awarded 19th AFL licence
• ‘Historic day’: Tassie AFL team’s entry year revealed amid draft, $1m trade boost details
• A letter from club president Dr Sonja Hood

Commissions and Committee Reports

• Tasmanian Football Steering Committee Report (2018)
• 2019 Tasmanian AFL Taskforce Report 
• 2020 Legislative Council Committee – Final Report on AFL in Tasmania
• 2021 AFL Commission – Carter Report – A License for a Tasmanian Team?