TASMANIA has capped an incredible week by signing up 150,000 founding members in the days after its club launch on Monday night.
The Devils announced on Friday they had broken through the 150k barrier in less than four days.
The club's original hope was to sign 40,000 people at $10 per head by October this year but that target had to be quickly revised after a flood of interest as soon as Monday's event concluded.
More than 75,000 founding members had paid up by midday on Tuesday and that figure was doubled by early Friday afternoon.
Tasmania confirmed on Monday night that the club's mascot would be the widely expected 'Devils', a coup that was only made public after the AFL came to an agreement with entertainment company Warner Bros over the use of the trademarked 'Tasmanian Devil' moniker.
The jumper's colours will be the state's traditional myrtle green, primrose yellow and rose red and the inaugural jumper will mimic the Tasmania state jumper – green with a yellow map of Tasmania with a red 'T' on the front.
O'Brien said on Tuesday that discussions with Warner Bros to use the mascot were initially tricky, and included some convincing about the animal's existence.
"When it got to the point of them understanding the Tasmanian devil was actually a real animal, things freed up," he said.
"They understood why we were so keen to have our own animal represent the team.
"It got done at the last minute, but we were confident we'd get there, and they've been fantastic."
O'Brien also said on Tuesday that the overwhelming public response meant the club had could demonstrate significant popular support when embarking on the next phase of negotiations around the proposed new home stadium and infrastructure ahead of the team's expected entry to the AFL in 2028.
Tasmania's licence is contractually tied to the construction of a new $715 million 23,000-seat roofed stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart.
The stadium has proven divisive politically and in the community, and has been a big talking point in the lead-up to Saturday's state election.
