By Andrew Dillon
Chief Executive Officer, AFL
Happy birthday Tasmania Devils!
A year ago I was in Devonport for the unveiling of the name and colours of the new Tasmanian team – an event that was mirrored at various events around the state and celebrated by Tasmanians across the state and across the world.
It is hard to believe that in a year, the Tasmania Devils have become the highest membership football club in the country with more than 206,000, sold nearly 20,000 Map jumpers and started to build out its staff. When people report seeing the famous Map jumpers everywhere from stalls in Bali to the tops of European mountains, you know the Devils are building momentum.
The work that chairman Grant O'Brien and his board have done, along with Kath McCann and more recently CEO Brendon Gale, and the growing number of Devils staff, is quite incredible.
Not only in building the foundations of a football club but advancing the selection of Kingborough Twin Ovals as the site for the development of the Tasmania Football Club's Training and Administration facility but also in working through the design process for the 23,000-seat roofed stadium at Macquarie Point.
We are also excited by the continued progress with the stadium design and approvals process, which is currently going through the Project of State Significance process which is due to finish in September before going to Parliament in October.
Not only is it exciting for the team, but also for Tasmania, when you look at what has happened with Adelaide Oval that now features almost 2000 annual events at the ground on top of the football and cricket matches and concerts. The same is true of Optus Stadium and even People First Stadium, the development of which allowed for the Commonwealth Games to be held on the Gold Coast as well as hosting other major events and international acts and conferences.
The impact of the Devils has also been seen at local level. Since the launch, participation in Australian football in Tasmania has grown 27 per cent but – most importantly – the growth in kids taking up NAB AFL Auskick has grown 38 per cent with an incredible 104 per cent increase in Auskick participants in southern Tasmania.
The growth in junior football is also on the rise with the launch of two new junior clubs on the northwest coast in East Ulverstone and Somerset, and an expected increase of 20 new teams off the back of the launch of the Devils in the south.
March 18 will always be a special day on the AFL calendar and a day that I will remember for years to come. Happy birthday to the Tasmania Devils and everyone who has contributed to the team that represents all Tasmanians.
