Tasmania’s new AFL club the Devils smashes membership target

Tassie footy fans have been waiting a long time for this moment.

As Tasmania launches its new AFL club, fans have jumped at the opportunity to get on board and become members.

More than 102,000 fans signed on as members following the launch of the Devils – way more than the 40,000 the club had hoped for.

Even though they will not kick a ball in the AFL until 2028, the number of fans signing on to the club has already made the Devils more popular in terms of memberships than 11 of the existing AFL clubs.

Tasmania’s fan base has officially become larger than that of the Gold Coast Suns, GWS Giants, North Melbourne, Brisbane Western Bulldogs, St Kilda, Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne.

Tasmanian club officials have said they expected even more fans to sign on as members in the coming days.

The level of support from fans is likely to be noticed by Tasmanian politicians as they prepare for the state election on Saturday.

In order for the Devils to play in the AFL, the Tasmanian government must approve and build a new $715 million roofed stadium with 23,000 seats at Macquarie Point in the state’s capital, Hobart.

But the plan for the stadium has caused disagreement between politicians and members of the community and the future of the club has remained in doubt.

BIRTH OF THE DEVILS
Memberships opened on Monday night following the club’s official launch at a gala event in Devonport, where the logo, jumper and colours of the club were revealed.

“This is the start of our membership journey and is such an important way for you to show your commitment to our club,” Tasmanian Football Club chairman Grant O’Brien said.

“While our club does not yet have players, we have a team. We are the team.

“I ask you to sign up and to become an ambassador for your club. Please encourage all of those around you, whether Tasmanian or not, to become a founding member of our club and be part of our journey.”

The founding memberships are available at a cost of $10 per person and come with a range of benefits, including stickers, the ability to buy member-only merchandise and the status of “founding member for life”.

Fans interested in becoming members can find out more by visiting www.tasmaniafc.com

POLL

GLOSSARY

• gala event: a special public celebration
• founding member: someone that joined the club when it was first launched
• ambassador: someone that represents the team

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QUICK QUIZ
1. What is the name of Tasmania’s new AFL club?
2. How many people have signed up as members?
3. How many people did the club hope would become members when it launched?
4. How much do founding memberships cost?
5. How much will it cost to build the club stadium?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Design the banner
Design the banner that the Devils will run through for their first game in 2028. Remember that it must be inspiring, motivating and say something about how important this first game will be.

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Communication Design

2. Extension
“Sport and politics should not mix.” Do you agree with this statement? Use information from the story, using the Tassie Devils as an example, to help you to write a convincing answer.

Time: allow at least 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Civics and Citizenship

VCOP ACTIVITY
Creative vocabulary
Find a bland sentence from the article to up-level. Can you add more detail and description? Can you replace any ‘said’ words with more specific synonyms?

Have you outdone yourself and used some really great vocabulary throughout your writing? Firstly, well done. Secondly, let’s ensure everyone can understand it by adding a glossary of terms. Pick three of your wow words and create a glossary for each word to explain what it means.